On the self-identity of Belarusians and state support for families. What Washington Post journalists asked Brest residents

January 29, Brest. The Washington Post journalists arrived in Brest Oblast to work on a report. They visited the Brest Fortress and visited a village family, BELTA reports.

The foreign journalists were told about the history of the construction and restoration of the Brest Fortress and were shown the interior of the patriotic center. The WP representatives watched schoolchildren (currently, the shift includes children from Baranovichi) take classes in military-applied physical and medical training, and tourist-applied all-around events. The Washington Post correspondent Francesca Ebel asked what values ​​Belarusians put into the civic-patriotic education of children. "Peace and love for their country, their home, their family. We raise children to be well-rounded individuals so that they can direct their strength and talents to the well-being of their native Belarus," the employees of the patriotic center said.
Every week, children from different districts of the Brest region come to the patriotic center for training camps. They are taught military history, including the Brest Fortress and the genocide of the Belarusian people. The second block includes basic military training, medical, tourist and topographic. A significant part of the program is devoted to physical education, competitions and outdoor leisure. On the sixth school day, Brest students study at the center. Foreign journalists tasted the lunch that the cooks prepared for the students. During a dialogue within the walls of the patriotic center, the WP correspondent noted that residents of Western countries know little about Belarus, often confusing the country with Russia and Ukraine. She asked what Belarusians mean by their self-identity. "Our self-identity has been formed over many centuries. The territory of today's Republic of Belarus was part of different states at different times, but at the same time, Belarusians have not lost their identity, their language, their roots. We honor our traditions and pass them on from generation to generation. Not a single Belarusian wants war. We want a peaceful and creative life," answered Alla Senkevich, head of the department of social and educational work of the main department of education of the Brest regional executive committee.

The Belarusian side was open with the journalists of The Washington Post: they showed and told everything that interested them. They were given a tour of the Brest Fortress and visited the Berestye Archaeological Museum.

Francesca Ebel is in Belarus for the first time, but having worked in different countries, she has heard a lot of good things about Belarusians. She agrees with this opinion. According to the journalist, she is preparing a story about Belarus, its relations with Russia and how the conflict in Ukraine has affected life in the European region.
To prepare her report, she also talked to the Azhanilok family. Sergey, Svetlana and their four children live in the agro-town of Mukhavets in the Brest district. "The guests were interested to know how we live, like children. They asked how the state supports families, including large families. We had three children, the state built the house. Now the fourth child has been born, the state also pays off the loan . We received family capital. The eldest child studies on a fee-paying basis, now two tenth-graders. Next year, perhaps, all three will study on a fee-paying basis. This help will be very useful to us. Family capital can be used for children's education, construction of housing, which the state has already helped us with. In general, we mainly talked about life," said the mother of many children.

Sergey and Svetlana work at the OJSC "Plemzavod Mukhavets". "We treated them to coffee , sausage. They really like our sausage , cheese, milk. They said that our milk tastes better than in Russia. Sergey Anatolyevich (Svetlana's husband. - BELTA note) told us about the milk production technology at our farm. He explained that everything is natural. We supply milk to Savushkin Product, and it exports its products. That is, foreigners know our brands," the villager noted with a smile. Photo by Violetta Yuzhakova