No child is somebody else’s

Traditional charity events focused on children and the elderly are about to kick off in Belarus

In order to properly celebrate the New Year holidays, preparations begin well in advance. The resolution from the Council of Ministers regarding the Our Children and From the Bottom of Our Hearts charity campaigns was issued back in early October. In November, a meeting of the organising committee took place, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Petrishenko. There is a lot of work ahead, as confirmed by the statistics: last year, gifts and greetings from teams of enterprises, state institutions, and organisations reached over a million young Belarusians and more than 330,000 elderly citizens.

Our Children campaign at special secondary school No. 14 for children with hearing impairment       Alisa Drugakova

Measure of kindness 

They say that not everything in this life can be measured in money. Yet, why not assess the scale of help for those in need from this perspective? After all, it would be foolish to ignore the practical side of the issue — sweets with toys, laptops with sports complexes, exercise machines, and so on do not simply fall from the sky. Last year, Br6.5m were spent on gifts and support for families and boarding houses where children in need of special care are raised, as part of the Our Children campaign. Additionally, Br100,000 raised during a charity marathon were directed to the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre of Paediatric Oncology, Haematology and Immunology. It is worth noting that this is only a portion of the funds, not including what was collected by employees of enterprises and organisations on their own initiative. Such money cannot be dismissed as mere base metal, can it?  
Judging by the fact that each year, more and more participants join the campaign, the contents of the New Year ‘piggy bank’ will increase. This means that even more children will be able to realise their wishes and dreams. The formula for nationwide charitable assistance is particularly relevant in this context. To put it simply, chipping in a rouble won’t leave you impoverished, while the donation brings joy to children.   

So said so done  

It is hard to believe, but the Our Children initiative will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. In the early 1990s, it was an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science, which periodically reached out to businesses and large enterprises, asking them to choose an orphanage or children’s home and congratulate the children on New Year and Christmas.  
In 1995, the Our Children campaign became a national project, as President Aleksandr Lukashenko took it under his patronage. Now, all state enterprises and organisations have their own establishments to support. Thus, the Belarus Segodnya Publishing House is responsible for the Gorodeya special boarding school. Each year, substantial funds are allocated from the national and local budgets, as well as from individual enterprises and organisations, for New Year gifts, festive events, and other purposes. The scale of the initiative has also changed, now encompassing the entire country. Take, for instance, the culmination of the celebration — the Presidential New Year Tree. In 1995, 500 children participated in the event, which took place at the Belarusian State Circus. Now, it is held at the Palace of the Republic, with over 2,400 guests each year. Despite the busy schedule, the Head of State always finds time to communicate with the young citizens of the country in a warm atmosphere.  
Part of the Our Children initiative also includes New Year morning celebrations at the Palace of Independence, which take place over several days. The participants are children from large families, residents of orphanages and family-type homes, as well as schoolchildren who have achieved high results in their studies, sports, and community life. Each of them leaves the residence of the Head of State with a memorable gift.

Our Children campaign at National Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities in Minsk         Ilya Shvedko

Warming hearts  

On the eve of 2023, the President proposed a new initiative aimed at elderly people. The initiative was immediately taken up by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education in liaison with the Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRSM) and the Belarusian Republican Pioneer Organisation (BRPO). Thus, the From the Bottom of Our Hearts campaign was born.  
Today, around 1.6m citizens over the age of 65 live in our country. Of these, 40,000 have crossed the 90-year milestone, and more than 600 have reached 100 years and older. To the credit of our social services, no one has been left to their fate. Across the country, social services are provided by 146 territorial centres for social services of the population and 81 social care homes.  
The From the Bottom of Our Hearts campaign is a continuation of good deeds, but now with the involvement of caring citizens — and there are a lot of them in our country. Schoolchildren, students, trade union workers, representatives of government structures and local authorities, and even younger pensioners visit lonely people, the disabled, and veterans during the New Year and Christmas holidays. They bring gifts, help with cleaning, shopping for groceries, chopping firewood, and more. Concerts, heartfelt tea parties, and birthday greetings are organised. The reward for volunteers is the genuine joy and gratitude in the eyes of those they assist. This, perhaps, is the true meaning of the New Year and Christmas days — to warm hearts and foster a sense of unity.  

JOIN US 

The New Year charity campaign Our Children starts on December 16th and will run until January 15th. From December 26th, the From the Bottom of Our Hearts campaign will commence, also concluding on January 15th. There are enough good deeds for everyone!

By Olga Bebenina