BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/01/2009

Winter Aid for Belarus

POLOTZK, Belarus - In the Vitebsk Region of Belarus, the Jewish community of Polotzk has undertaken a charity drive aimed at helping low-income and otherwise impoverished families.

"It is often the case that members of the community bring us things that, for instance, their children have outgrown. These are mainly clothes and shoes that are still in good condition," explained Raisa Kukhto, the Program Coordinator for the Jewish community of Polotzk.

Previously, the community's humanitarian assistance efforts were loosely organized. "I used to just invite some needy family and offered them support, but it has grown from then," explained Raisa Kukhto.

Currently, the community is also exploring options for holding a major charity event to help more poor families and families with physically and mentally challenged children. It has already begun collecting clothes, shoes, toys, books and many other items that may be useful for recipient families.

The community's staff have been successful in engaging not only members of the Jewish community, but also local residents from many other ethnic groups and religious denominations. Given the success of this current campaign, organizers plan to organize similar events in future.

The Jewish community of Polotzk - a city which numbered just over 82,000 in the last census - is one of numerous entities that are bringing about the blossoming of Jewish life in Belarus, with support from the Association of Jewish Communities of Belarus and the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS and Baltic Countries.

Source:

http://www.fjc.ru/news/newsArticle.asp?AID=811742

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