To become a resident of the eco-village near Lepel, you need to pass a casting

The village, all of whose streets are named Raduzhnaya (Rainbow), is located in the Lepel district on the shore of Lake Lepel. Such an interesting tautology, which does not hinder at all the settlers who suffered from the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, from settling in a new place. However, it is not easy at all to become a resident of the village with an ecological focus.

Beautiful, as if toy-like, houses are lined up in a row. The streets are wide, asphalted, beyond the outskirts - a lake: a blue strip of water tens of kilometers long. When getting acquainted with the village of Stary Lepel, neat fences, young apple trees in gardens, decorative hills, grapevines, ponds, and even swimming pools immediately catch the eye.

The villagers take care of the beauty and comfort of life. They came here from the radiation-contaminated regions of the Gomel, Brest, and Mogilev regions.

Many families have the status of large families. For example, Father Sergius, on whose initiative a small church was built nearby, is raising four children. Lyudmila Supeeva has five of her own and three adopted children. Three boys are with Viktor Unkovsky, a doctor at the outpatient clinic who recently moved to the village.

Most of the settlers work at a modern robotic dairy farm in the center of the farm, which belongs to the Lepel dairy plant. Some work in the school, kindergarten, and hospital. There are also their own builders.

Currently, 24 families live in the village. Three more will move into new houses by the end of the year. By the 30th anniversary of the sad date - the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant - the eco-village will have 30 houses.

The Deputy Chairman of the Lepel District Executive Committee, Nikolai Nikitin, emphasizes that the project is not just charity from good people. The district is investing considerable money in the village. All engineering communications, roads, and other amenities are funded by the budget. A new well has been drilled, an iron removal station for water is being built, and modern sewage treatment facilities are being constructed. It is also important that those who are to live here are compulsorily involved in the construction of their own housing. These are the rules, because in the end, the house will be transferred to the family's ownership free of charge.

"Many excursions and delegations visit the village," smiles Nikolai Nikolaevich. "And not all of them believe in the reliability of houses built from wood chips, clay, and reeds. But those who have been living here for 10 years or more (the project has been underway since 2001) have no doubts about the quality of natural materials and the benefits of well-thought-out ecology."

...I look at an unfinished house, the walls of which, around a slatted frame, are made of hand-pressed wood chips, and reeds protrude from under the roof. It seems to me too: the entire structure is so fragile that a young child could easily dismantle it.

My skepticism amuses Valentin Shakuro, the construction project manager, and he leads me into an already inhabited dwelling. The homeowners, Igor Steфаnenko with his wife and two children, have been living in "eco-conditions" for 8 years: enough time to appreciate all the "pros" and "cons." "It's an excellent house!" the owner assures me. "It's cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Come inside, try the air..."

I try it. It's easy to breathe, and I clearly sense the aroma of pine, dry wood, and something pleasant, floral and meadow-like. A spacious hall, a beautiful wooden staircase to the second floor, cozy bedrooms for the children. Of course, Igor has done a lot in the house with his own hands. The dwelling is handed over to the owner without finishing, in a "raw," so to speak, condition. Natural craftsmanship allowed the resettler to start his own business as well. While his wife works at the complex, her husband is engaged in the production of decorative tiles. He believes that his products will soon be in demand even among his fellow villagers – look how many new cottages need improvement!

How can one become a participant in such an interesting project and receive a whole house as a gift?

It turns out that future new residents undergo a thorough selection process. First, by documents. Firstly, they must not own their own housing. The second mandatory condition is a complete young family (under 36 years old) and the presence of children.

A special commission comprising representatives of the international public organization "Homes instead of Chernobyl" and the Belarusian international charitable association "EcoDom" visits the selected candidates at their places of residence. They closely examine the family members' characteristics, assess their living conditions, and their household management skills. Then, the candidates themselves take a tour of the Lepel district, where they are interviewed by representatives of local authorities and discuss future employment opportunities. If everyone is satisfied, one of the family members will have to work diligently during a volunteer shift on the construction of their own home.

However, there can still be "hidden pitfalls" here: old-timers recall how one candidate was rejected at this very stage. His fondness for alcoholic beverages unexpectedly came to light. But this is an exceptional case; currently, over 120 people live in the eco-village – reliable, home-loving, and industrious individuals. The majority of the new residents are children, many of whom were born here, on clean land.

Stary Lepel is the second ecological settlement in the country; the first was built in the Myadel district. Its establishment in the Lepel region was largely made possible by the initiative of local authorities, who continue to cooperate closely with volunteers. Consequently, new, very promising sub-projects are emerging.

Currently, for instance, partners are negotiating the construction of a building in the district center to house a day care center for disabled individuals. The summer volunteer shift of the international youth camp in Stary Lepel has become a regular event. Gymnasians from Lepel and college students from Bielefeld, Germany, not only relax on the lake shore but also assist lonely elderly and infirm people, whose lists they obtain through the social service: they repair fences, prepare firewood, and carry out other tasks.

And who exactly comes to Stary Lepel to build houses? German, Italian, and Belarusian students, workers, employees, and even bankers aged 16 to 89 (!). Over the years, more than 2,000 people have spent their holidays here. During a shift (each with 30 to 50 people), they manage not only to build a house but also to travel around our entire country. Belarusian volunteers also go to work in Italy or Germany, where they meet their old friends at new construction sites.

Related topic

In addition to the residential settlement in Stary Lepel, volunteers have built a rural outpatient clinic (FAP) which houses a fully equipped outpatient department serving over 2.8 thousand villagers (including 350 children under 14) from 40 villages. The FAP and the cultural and educational center are built using energy-efficient technology, equipped with solar collectors and automatic heating equipment using local fuels. The winter heating of the 160-square-meter building costs approximately 4 million rubles for the purchase of pellets and 150 kilowatts of electricity per month (considering the use of a large number of electrical appliances). Solar panels provide water temperatures up to 90 degrees.

Elena Begunova, "Respublika"