Press releases

MINSK, 28 December (BelTA) - Chairman of the republican state-public association President Sports Club Dmitry Lukashenko and his family visited children at the social and pedagogical center with a shelter in Zavodskoy District of Minsk as part of the nationwide charity campaign Our Children, BelTA has learned.

The guests gave the children candy boxes and board games and the center a laptop and a printer.

The children prepared a colorful New Year performance. Dmitry Lukashenko thanked the young artists for the concert and wished them health, happiness and warmth.

The social and pedagogical center with a shelter in Zavodskoy District of Minsk was founded in 2004. It is made up of four departments: children's social shelter, family problems prevention department, the department to support foster families and the prevention and integrated rehabilitation department.

The social shelter at the center is currently home to 29 children. Psychologists, social pedagogues, and tutors work with the children.

“Deprivation of parental rights is the last extreme measure. First of all, we are doing our best to help restore the family. Today we have good news. One of our children will soon return home,” Deputy Director of the center Tatyana Lukomskaya said.

Today the social and pedagogical center in Zavodskoy District accepts children from three Minsk districts though it used to service Zavodskoy District only. Experts say that this is the result of Decree No.18 “On Additional Measures for the State Protection of Children from Troubled Families” which streamlined the activity of all the services. The main focus is on preventing social disadvantage. On average, about 87% of children from the shelter find new foster or adoptive families. About half of them return to biological families.