Another 8 women from the Vitebsk region have been awarded the Order of Motherhood
Motherhood is a woman's true calling. No matter how much the modern world dictates the pursuit of career heights, the most significant success for the weaker half of humanity is children. And there is no more beautiful picture than to see a smiling, happy mother surrounded by little sunshines, in whom the meaning of her life is embodied…
By a kind tradition, women from all corners of the Dvina region gathered at the regional executive committee for a festive reception dedicated to Mother's Day. These are those who dedicate themselves to raising children, carefully preserve family values, and whose work is a worthy example and deserves the highest praise. It was precisely such words that were addressed to the women on this day.
Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Vladimir Terentyev noted that in our country, family support, protection of motherhood and childhood are priority areas of state social policy. Today, families raising children are granted 10 types of state benefits in accordance with the law. In the Vitebsk region, 35,000 families receive childcare benefits for children up to 3 years old, targeted social assistance is provided to low-income families, and attention is paid to solving the housing issue for large families, of which there are more than 6,000 in our region. However, the issue of child orphanage with living parents still remains relevant. Active work is being carried out in the region to implement the right of children to live in a family. This year, 76% of minors left without parental care were placed in families for upbringing. The region has 19 family-type children's homes, and the construction of four more is underway in Beshenkovichi, Orsha, Vitebsk, and Tolochin districts.
– The President of the country called for combating social orphanage. In addition, unfortunately, in recent years, families with 1-2 children and even incomplete families have become the norm. It is precisely at such moments that it is important to remember traditional family values. The prosperous family, the examples of a father and mother, should come to the forefront in the fight for upbringing and preservation of morality and purity of family relations, – emphasized Vladimir Vladimirovich.
That is why in Belarus, the labor of raising children is honorable and respected. The Order of Mother, awarded for raising five or more children, is a testament to this. In the Vitebsk region, 598 women are holders of this award.
Yesterday, in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, eight more women joined them. It is worth noting that all of them are raising 5-6 children, and most of the mothers are under 40 years old. These include Anna Volkova, a teacher of vocational training at the Zelenkovsky kindergarten-school in the Polotsk district; Svetlana Guzhonok, a milking machine operator at the Golubichi branch of OJSC Gluboksky Meat Processing Plant; Irina Kanonik, a worker at the Novopolotsk Housing and Communal Services Department; Natalya Kolesnikova, a cleaner of office premises at OJSC Vitebskavtotrans, and Elena Matylenok, a cleaner of office premises at OJSC Khotily-Agro in the Postavy district, as well as housewives Natalya Kravtsevich from Chashniki, Irina Magrin and Valentina Naumenok from the Braslav district.
At the same time, in the Dvina region, they found their own ways to honor mothers by establishing the Zinaida Mikhailovna Tusnolobova-Marchenko Hero of the Soviet Union Prize in 1987. This year, 25 women became laureates of the prize. It goes without saying that during the award ceremony, a special atmosphere of kindness prevailed in the hall, accompanied by hearty applause, and tears glistened in the eyes. After all, every mother has her own story…
Anna Volkova, a teacher at the Zelenkovo kindergarten-school in the Polotsk district, who received the Order of Motherhood, has five children: Anton is 15 years old, Timofey is 10, Victoria is 5, Arseniy is 3, and the youngest, Denis, is only 1.5 years old. In 2013, the Volkovs won the city competition "Best Large Family of Polotsk", and became laureates of the regional review-competition "Best Large Family of Vitebsk Region-2013". The secret to the mother's success in raising so many children is the help of her beloved husband Vitaly, who manages the kitchen, gets everyone ready in the morning, and drives them to schools and kindergartens. Dad is a jack-of-all-trades, and the older children look up to him. The younger ones engage in creative activities with their mother. As a result, in the three-room apartment, which the family built in Polotsk with a preferential loan for large families, all the works made of wood, beads, and dough no longer fit, so they have to be given as gifts to friends and relatives. According to Anna Ignatievna, a large family is fun, interesting, with new experiences and indescribable emotions every day.
– We never thought we would have a large family. It's just that as the children grew up, we realized that something was missing. We approached the birth of each child consciously, understanding that it is necessary not only to give birth but also to raise children as worthy citizens, – admits Anna Ignatievna. – I want to tell all women: do not be afraid of difficulties, have children, and everything else is solvable.
Natalia Balbotkina from Shumilino district shares the same opinion. The woman combines raising three children with rural chores on her household plot and caring for 70 calves at the farm of OJSC "AgroBorovinka". Her husband, Sergey, works as a machine operator at the same farm. Their children are taught diligence from an early age. This excellent homemaker and loving mother has been awarded the Z. M. Tusnolobova-Marchenko prize.