A ceremony of opening a new international flight Minsk-Manchester has been held recently. It is quite an event for such a small country as Belarus. Besides, a hundred of Belarusian children who reside in Chernobyl-affected areas were the passengers of this first flight. They left for Great Britain on the invitation of one of humanitarian organizations within the framework of a rehabilitation programme. There is a host of similar flights to Spain, Italy, Germany and Canada today. The common trouble has brought children and adults closer to each other. Until recently they knew nothing about each other, but now they are friends despite a wide age gap.
We have published a lot of articles about children — about childhood to be more exact — in this issue. About happy families and human generosity. About those, who give some part of their soul to the kids, which due to different reasons are not deprived from experiencing happy feelings. Whether these feelings emerge not far from home or a thousand miles away is not important anymore.
Most children enjoy an acute sense of what is good. They are grateful to their new friends, who invited them to spend summer vacations abroad. They also express gratitude to the state that protects them. They will become fully aware of it a bit later.
Though, children can also feel responsible at a very early age. For example, the children of diplomats accredited in Belarus addressed their peers with “Message into the Future.” “Let our dreams find response in the hearts of children of the Earth and campaign around the world for Good, Mercy and Love,” the message read. They made souvenirs and presents with their own hands and gave them to the kids, who undergo treatment at a rehabilitation health centre near Minsk. The words have been followed by actions, which is the essence of responsibility. The price for it is the same both when young and when mature.
Victor Kharkov
Editor of “Беларусь.Belarus”
