MINSK, 14 January (BelTA) – Participants of the New Year nationwide charity campaign Our Children donated Br1.3 million in financial aid, equipment, and gifts to various institutions for children, Eduard Tomilchik, the head of the main department for education and youth policy at the Belarusian Education Ministry, told journalists on 14 January, BelTA has learned.
Participants of the campaign visited 122 social facilities: residential schools, orphanages, family-type children's homes, children's rehabilitation centers and hospitals. “I want to stress that the main aim of the campaign is to ensure that all children feel cared for during the winter holidays, especially those who are in a difficult life situation,” Eduard Tomilchik said. “Senior officials not only give children sweet treats. They talk with them and bring things these institutions need most: tablets, household appliances, games, sports equipment, and exercise machines. All in all, facilities for children received around Br1.3 million in donations during this year's campaign,” he added.
Moreover, the Belarusian Education Ministry together with enterprises and higher educational institutions also donated around Br30,000 to the campaign. Every region are now selecting rural schools that will get new sports equipment. Eduard Tomilchik noted that events of the campaign were held in all types of educational institutions, from kindergartens to higher educational institutions. Representatives of government authorities, for example, the mayor of Minsk and the governor of Minsk Oblast, took an active part in these events.
Nationwide New Year events included parties in the Palace of the Republic and the Palace of Independence in Minsk. Another important event was the Vienna Ball in the Palace of Independence that featured the Belarusian president.
The New Year charity campaign Our Children kicked off in Belarus on 9 December 2019 and ran through 10 January 2020. The campaign was held under the patronage of the Belarusian head of state. During the campaign, heads of government agencies, including local executive officials, visited orphanages and foster homes, foster and adoptive families, and children's hospitals to give children gifts and help resolve their issues.
