Mother's Week to be held in Belarus on October 8-14

October 7, Minsk /Elena Prus - BELTA/. Mother's Week will be held in Belarus from October 8 to 14, BELTA was informed at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

According to the 2009 population census, there are about 2.7 million families in our country, of which 45% have children under 18 years of age (compared to 56% of families in the 1999 census).

The events of Mother's Week will contribute to strengthening family traditions, maintaining harmonious family relationships, and preparing young people for family life, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection believes. Mother's Day is not only a tribute of deep respect and love for mothers. It is a state-level recognition of the crucial role of women in the development of society, and confirmation that family and motherhood are priorities of the country's social policy.

Traditional celebrations of mothers in work collectives and at their places of service are planned. Ceremonial receptions will be held in city, district, and regional executive committees. On October 11, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food will host a reception and celebration for mothers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the agricultural sector.

Every year, meetings are organized with women veterans of the Great Patriotic War, widows, mothers and wives of soldiers who participated in local conflicts, and with spouses and mothers of employees of internal affairs bodies, as well as visits to families of employees of internal affairs bodies and servicemen of internal troops who died in the line of duty.

Receptions for mothers whose sons are honourably serving in the Armed Forces will be held in military units. On October 14, a festive concert for members of the Soldiers' Mothers Committee and the Association of Families of Servicemen Who Died in Afghanistan "Memory and Duty", and the Social Protection Fund for Widows and Children of Servicemen Who Died in Local Military Conflicts "Duty" will take place at the Central House of Officers.

Festive concerts, competition programs for young mothers, and celebrations for large families are being organized. Special attention will be paid to women with disabilities who became mothers in 2013. Women who have taken children under guardianship and foster mothers will be honoured. Maternity hospitals will solemnly congratulate women who gave birth on Mother's Day, October 14.

Meetings and consultations are planned to be held in healthcare organizations on the issues of the health status of adolescents, women and children, its preservation and strengthening, as well as training sessions for mothers on child-rearing, and correction of parent-child relationships. Direct telephone hotlines will be held on issues of protecting the rights and interests of motherhood, family, and gender equality. Campaigns to provide legal assistance to low-income and large families, as well as mobile receptions and meetings with specialists, will be organized.

Throughout the week, charity events will be held, including visits to lonely elderly women in nursing care hospitals, day care departments of territorial social service centers, and nursing homes for the elderly and disabled.

In all regions of the republic, competitive and entertainment programs, literary and musical evenings, exhibitions of children's and family creativity, and family dance evenings will take place. Round tables, thematic discussions, literary lounges, poetry evenings, and presentations of books and poetry collections will be held in public libraries. Museums will offer visitors exhibition projects "Dedicated to Mothers" and campaigns "The Whole Family - To the Museum". Sports and mass events, fitness and health activities, sports competitions, cultural and sports festivals are planned, as well as the planting of small parks and alleys of motherhood.-0-

News of Belarus (BELTA)