Charity Project Makes Theatre Affordable for Disadvantaged Youth

A charity project headed by the first lady Evelin Ilves, SA Aitan Lapsi and the packaging recovery company Eesti Pandipakend aims to take 10,000 disadvantaged children to theatre. 

As part of the campaign 140 packaging recovery machines across the country will be installed with and additional button, allowing people returning their empty bottles to donate the price of the bottles to charity. The money will go towards helping disadvantaged chidlren attend theatre performances across the country. According to Rauno Raal, managing director of Eesti Pandipakend, who spoke in Vikerraadio, the idea of the charity program is to bring cultural education to children, whereas other charity projects tend to focus on material needs.

Almost all theatres in Estonia have joined the campaign, promising to match donations, effectively lowering the price of theatre admission by 50% for the disadvantaged children.

Estonia has one of the highest rates of per capita theatre attendance in Europe. In 2009, over 800,000 people, roughly 60% of the country's population attended a theatre performance.

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