On December 24, Minsk / Yulia Vanina - BELTA/. More than 2.3 thousand schoolchildren from all regions of Belarus have been invited to Minsk for a charity New Year's ball and a performance titled "Four Magic Keys". The events will take place today at the Palace of the Republic as part of the "Our Children" New Year's campaign, Deputy Minister of Education Viktor Yakzhik told a BELTA correspondent. The celebration will be attended by 2,370 children. Among them are students who have received awards based on the results of regional, oblast, republican, and international Olympiads, creative competitions and contests, leaders of children's public associations, orphans, children left without parental care, pupils of boarding schools, children with disabilities, children from large and low-income families, children from areas affected by the Chernobyl disaster, and others. Invitations to the charity New Year's celebration were received by 100 children each from Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, and Brest regions, 300 from Minsk region, and 1,570 teenagers from Minsk. Guests from the regions, who will arrive in the capital on December 23, will be treated to an interesting excursion around the capital and a performance at the Belarusian State Circus. New Year's trees for children will be organized in every district of the country, and festive performances will be held in all schools and kindergartens. "Not a single child will be left without attention. Every young resident of Belarus will feel their involvement in the New Year and Christmas holidays," the deputy minister noted. The "Our Children" New Year's charity campaign has been held in Belarus from December 20, 2010, to January 10, 2011, for the 16th time. A special organizing committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Potupchik is working to ensure that all children receive gifts and attend colorful performances. Heads of ministries, other republican government bodies, and local executive and administrative bodies will participate in the events. They will visit children's homes, including family-type homes, boarding schools, foster families, children's social shelters, and children's hospitals, and present gifts to the children. The campaign will be financed by funds allocated from the national budget and extra-budgetary funds.-0-

BELTA