Making the world a better place

Our Children charity campaign gives care to every child

The nationwide charity campaigns — Our Children and From the Bottom of Our Hearts, held in Belarus under the patronage and on the initiative of the President — have already become a symbol of the New Year holidays. The whole country unites in an endeavour to support and help those who need care the most: the elderly, those who have faced illnesses and other difficulties, orphans, children from large and low-income families. The charity marathon of kindness will not leave any of them without attention.

During the official start of New Year’s charity campaign Our Children in Vitebsk Region at the Verasy countryside complex anton stepanishchev

A New Year’s fairy tale as a gift is a surprise for young patients of the Minsk City Centre for Medical Rehabilitation of Children with Neuropsychiatric Diseases prepared by students of the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University. As Dean of the Department for Social and Pedagogical Technologies Vera Martynova noted, the charity events taking place under the patronage and on the initiative of the President are the most heart-warming on these New Year’s Eve days, “When I watched the report from the opening, I caught myself thinking: it was as if the whole country was embracing the children who especially need this care. For the seventh year in a row, we have been coming to the centre with congratulations and gifts, understanding that not only little patients, but also their parents need portions of magic and joy.”

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Natalya Prudnikova, whose daughter’s rehabilitation courses have helped her make phenomenal progress, is happy to take part in the Our Children campaign, “Look, my child is standing by the Christmas tree and is singing a song. We even wrote a letter to Ded Moroz [Father Frost] and asked for a children’s camera, which is also a sign of good medical care, and, in general, of care for children in the country — the child wants to create.”
Brightly coloured ladies in gorgeous dresses shone, and gentlemen surprised with their poise: the dancing floor of the Mogilev Region’s Palace of Culture gathered twenty-five couples at the New Year’s ball, held as part of the Our Children campaign.

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  Aleksandra Gavrilenko from the Mogilev State Gymnasium-College of Arts (named after Yevgeny Glebov) shares her delight, 

“An evening in the format of a ball is a real gift. I love beautiful music, and here its concentration is off the scale. Lights, music, and outfits give me a feeling of Christmas and New Year’s Eve approaching. It’s a wonderful time to dream and make the most incredible wishes.”

Spouses Inna and Leonid Gorbel came to support their son Yegor, who was invited to the ball for his excellent studies at the Mogilev State Medical College, “It is very exciting and joyful to watch such a beautiful action — you can’t take your eyes away. It is great that we have such balls for young people, they fill them with a sense of holiday. There is a tradition in our family: everyone writes a letter to Ded Moroz, even adults. We ask for simple human happiness, health and peace. We will achieve everything else ourselves, our country has everything we need for that.”

As part of the Our Children campaign, senior government officials, heads of national government bodies and public associations are scheduled to visit more than 130 different institutions, including boarding schools, correctional and developmental education and rehabilitation centres, family-type orphanages, and more.

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kristina fanchenko
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 The Belynichi special boarding school in the Mogilev Region was another focus of care and attention. A theatrical performance has been prepared here for the Our Children action, held countrywide on the initiative and under the patronage of the President. Head of the Belarus President Administration Dmitry Krutoi and the leadership of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee came to the holiday. A New Year tree, presents, and kind words — everyone tried to make the matinee as warm as a home.
Dmitry Krutoi noted that the Our Children marathon of kindness — launched in Belarus in 1995 and celebrating its 30th anniversary next year — has acquired an incredible scale, 

“Every year the number of people involved in the campaign grows. All government agencies and organisations start preparing for the campaign long before December; the list of institutions and schools is already being worked out in September. Everyone wants to please children with something special. Now the scale of the campaign is amazing. The task set by the President to reach literally every child is being fulfilled. And the joy that we see on children’s faces, the happiness that the New Year brings them, inspires adults too.”

The children received sweet treats from the President Administration, and the boarding school was granted a certificate for the purchase of a tractor, a modern interactive panel display (multiboard) and kitchen equipment.
Employees of the Prosecutor General’s Office joined the marathon of kindness and congratulated the children, their parents and the staff of the sponsored institution: the Centre for Corrective and Developmental Education and Rehabilitation at Minsk’s Pervomaisky District. In addition to sweet gifts, they gave the children the necessary equipment, furniture and other things for comfortable education and accommodation.
The Republican Children’s Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation in Ostroshitsky Gorodok near Minsk organised a heart-warming holiday with round dances around the New Year tree.
Congratulating the hospital’s young patients, Healthcare Minister Aleksandr Khodzhaev said,” The Our Children campaign, initiated by the Head of State, is systematic and permanent, which is very satisfying. Today I saw joyful faces — the children feel the holiday is approaching. We are doing our best to make children smile thanks to our support. And we will continue to do our best to make their health better every day.”

From the bottom of our hearts

From the Bottom of Our Hearts campaign initiated by the Head of State is a logical continuation of the Our Children campaign. It has been organised since 2023 and its goal is to provide care and attention to the elderly on the eve of the New Year and Christmas.
“Today there are more than 1.5 million people aged over 65 in Belarus,” Deputy Labour and Social Protection Minister Marina Artemenko noted. “Over 120,000 of them are single people, including those living in social service institutions, nursing hospitals, and round-the-clock care departments. Tens of thousands of volunteers, including those of ‘silver’ age, will visit elderly people at home, help them with cleaning and preparing for the holidays. There will also be festive events, such as Christmas balls, New Year’s meetings and so on. Special attention will be paid to long-livers and veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

By Taisia Azanovich