By Yelena Velikhova
Minsk recently hosted children from the Gomel and Mogilev regions, from the Novozybkov and Surazh districts of the Bryansk Region and from Shumyachi, in the Smolensk Region of Russia. The youngsters were joined by foster children from Ivenets’ Boarding School for Physically Disabled Children, as well as those from creative groups.
The Cathedral Children’s Choir and Ternichka Choir from Minsk’s Palace of Culture joined the Railwaymen Sports Choir in singing at the holy mass hosted by Holy Spirit Cathedral, before the young guests set off for entertainment at the Belarusian State Circus.
The Christmas Tree — Our Children project was organised, as ever, by the Department for Mitigating the Consequences of the Catastrophe at Chernobyl, alongside the Diocesan Administration of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, with support from the Ministry of Education and, for the first time, the Belarusian Peace Foundation. Over 40,000 boys and girls from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine have taken part over the years.
