Five healthcare initiatives from the Vitebsk region will receive grants under the EU-UN project

In Vitebsk, on December 8, an award ceremony will be held for the winners of the first competition of local initiatives aimed at improving the health of Belarusians and preventing non-communicable diseases. Five initiative authors will receive special certificates from the UNDP and the European Union. These are the Sennenskaya district organization of the public association "Belarusian Women's Union", the Vitebsk regional organization of the Belarusian Red Cross Society, the department of education, sports and tourism of the Gorodok District Executive Committee, the Vitebsk regional youth public association "Center for the Promotion of Territorial Development and Legal Information "Perspective", the public association for progressive development "Polotsk Center for Local Initiatives".

As a result of the implementation of the winners' plans, the Vitebsk region will see a new sports and recreation complex, workout areas, several health trails for Nordic walking, and a sports and entertainment complex – a rope town for children and adults. In addition, 18 healthcare workers at rural health posts will be provided with electric bicycles, which will make the provision of primary healthcare to the rural population more prompt. And a healthy lifestyle and active recreation festival under the general title "Hand in Hand!" will be launched. The relevance of the initiatives, as well as the BELMED project as a whole, is due to the fact that about 90% of all deaths in Belarus are associated with non-communicable diseases. Smoking and high alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, and insufficient physical activity increase the risk of developing such diseases.

The initiatives that will be implemented following the competition are aimed precisely at combating these risk factors. The BELMED project is funded by the European Union and is being implemented in Belarus.