HELP TO THE DISABLED

Among the most important social programs, which have been conducting by the Christian Educational Centre, is the rehabilitation work with the disabled of different age groups.

The necessity of such programs is especially actual for Belarus, where with the break of the Soviet Union the majority of structures, which dealt with social work and which were financed by the state, also collapsed. That is why non-profit public organizations and the Orthodox Church became the initiators of the series of Charity projects, at present successfully realized.

The Christian Educational Centre has already certain experience of collaboration with such organizations as:

• Public Charity Organization "Belarusian Children Hospice", in which the performances of the national puppet-theatre "Batleika" have been conducted for the children with oncology sufferings. We also intend to create the methodology office for preparing of the volunteers for the future work with children who suffer from serious diseases and also for their parents.

  

  In October 2001 jointly with the Belarusian Children Hospice the II International Conference "Palliative Care for Children" has been conducted, at which the problems of pastor care about dying children and the families of these children have been analyzed; the discussion of comprehending by the person of the problems of sufferings and dying from the Christian point of view was held.

• Republican association of the disabled on wheel-chairs, for which the volunteer movement was created, in which the students of faculty of theology participate.

  

  In the beginning of 2002 the first congratulations of the disabled with Christmas took place.

  Together with the Byelorussian "Red Cross" the help with means of medical hygiene was rendered. The search of spiritual support of the disabled on wheel-chairs in overcoming of loneliness and sufferings has been conducted. The activity on engaging the sponsor's help for a purchase of wheel-chairs and pneumatic cushions for the disabled has been realized.

  

• Paralympic committee of the Republic of Belarus.
  The Christian Educational Centre participate in December 1998 and 1999 has been participating in the organization and realization of the 1-st and 2-nd Republican sports festivals among blind and cecutient children.

• Association of Disabled of the Republic of Belarus.
  The help in organization of an international seminar on Christian education with the participation of Evangelical Church of Germany has been realized.

  The support to school for cecutient children N 124 in Minsk has been rendered. In 2001 the director of this school was awarded with the Christmas premium of the Christian Educational Centre "For the revival of the best Christian traditions in the system of laity education in the Republic of Belarus".

• Byelorussian committee "Special Olympics".
  In May, 2001 the Christian Educational Centre was one of the sponsors of sports games among the desabled children. (Molodechno, Belarus).

  The construction of sports - rehabilitation centre for the disabled on wheel-chairs in Minsk has been started by the Centre.

In 2001 the Christian Educational Centre has rendered the financial support to the Byelorussian Institute of Radiation Security (BELRAD) in manufacturing of the medicine "Vitapekt". The usage of this medicine, based on a pectin, contributes to active deduction of radiation from an organism of the person and is used for treatment of children living on polluted territories of the Republic of Belarus, which were polluted in a result of a consequence of catastrophe on Chernobyl Atomic Station in 1986.