Áåëîðóññêèé äåòñêèé õîñïèñ

Here it is — the summer we've been waiting for for so long!  For the whole year our children and volunteers have been waiting for the day they could meet again at the summer house in Zabrodie. They kept in touch for the whole year — wrote letters, spoke on the phone, sent congratulations to each other on birthdays and other holidays — just waiting for the day they could meet …

There have already been 3 sessions in the summer house, one of which was for handicapped children. If you could only see how cheerful these sessions have been!  To our great pleasure, this year we've again been visited by English volunteers Zack and Mark.  We've also had visits from volunteers from Moritz and Kilyan from Germany and, of course, our home grown volunteers — our country's best students from different universities and even those who have already graduated but deep in their heart are still students. They've all been working by the sweat of their brows and with the sun on their necks.  Here they are, the Belarussian heroes of our first 2 sessions: Tomko Anna, Polischuk Ekaterina, Baydakova Anna, Kostevich Vitaly, Soloduho Natalya, Tarasova Lida, Chagina Marina, Tamkovich Alisa, Samusenko Kristina and Gubich Polina.

Those who've been to Zabrodie — the heaven of Belarus — will never forget it and will always think of coming back here again. It's a great place for both volunteers and the children. It can be hot and cold here, lively and a little bit sad, one can find first love and the first disappointments here.  But what is most important — it is always lively here. In our summer house we play interesting games, hold sports competitions and perform funny concerts. We celebrated Independence Day singing songs about the war next to the camp fire. We held Olympic Games with sports competitions and even a Ghost day during which the German volunteers baked cookies in the shape of noses and ears.

The last holiday-makers went back home counting the days till next summer and the next ones are impatiently waiting for the fourth session to begin. They will all share their memories at the end of summer.  For the moment, let's remember the great days we've spent in the summer house and revel in them.

Katya said, ‘It was fantastic but not long enough …'