Students from Brest helped an elderly resident of Kamenetsky district in the framework of the action “Dobro.Bel”

Remove the crop, put the yard in order, prepare firewood or deliver food – within the framework of the republican charitable initiative “Dobro.Bel”, young people help older people with things for which strong hands are needed. The next address of volunteers from Brest was the house No. 7 in the village of Plyanta Kamenetsky district. The students arrived at one request, but it was not limited to: moved the remaining after repair boards, removed fallen foliage and put order in the garden of Nina Vladimirovna Zaretskaya, reports sb.by.

The woman learned about the opportunity to turn to volunteers from a television story. On the farm, she still does a lot of things herself: she cares for beds, grows vegetables and berries, harvests. Help was needed after repairing the old house, when there were heavy boards in the yard. Then Nina Vladimirovna called the Leninsky District Committee of Brest. About a week later, students of A. S. Pushkin Brest State University came to Plyant.

- At first, I doubted whether to apply. I only asked for help with the boards. The work seems to be a little bit, but it is no longer possible. The guys arrived, quickly moved them, and then without further questions took up another – they began to remove the leaves in the yard. I look at them and rejoice. No one needs to be asked or driven, everyone finds his own business. For them it is a few hours, and for me it is a great help, says Nina Zaretskaya.

It rained in the morning, but it didn’t affect the plans. For student Diana Makutina, this trip was the first. The girl learned about the trip from a friend shortly before departure and immediately agreed. She was familiar with the work on the site: she also helps her grandparents.

- They're 76. In the summer, I help pick apples and work in the garden, and in the house I can wash windows or floors. Therefore, when Paul proposed to go to Plyanta, he did not hesitate for a long time. Older people find it difficult to handle everything on their own. If we can spend a few hours and support them, we need to do it, she said.

And the sophomore of the law faculty Pavel Strekha already had volunteering experience. During agricultural fairs, he helped seniors and people with disabilities bring shopping home. With work on the site, the young man is also familiar from childhood, so in Plyant immediately joined the common cause.

- If you can help, why not? There is no complicated philosophy here. Today we moved the boards, removed the site and removed the tomato supports. For us, this is a normal job, and Nina Vladimirovna alone would be difficult. But such trips are not only about economic affairs. We had time to meet and talk, and at the end the hostess gave us tomatoes from her garden. It was a great day, Paul smiled.

Assistance to the elderly within the framework of the “Dobro.Bel” initiative is provided all year round. In spring, volunteers plant, in autumn they help to harvest and prepare plots for the cold, in winter they clear yards and paths from snow. Applications are received both from territorial centers of social services and directly from residents. On average, volunteers of the Leninsky district of Brest receive two or three applications per week.

- We try to respond quickly, usually within a few days. Sometimes it is necessary to deliver food or medicines, in other cases - to remove the house area, prune trees and grapes, dig up a vegetable garden or harvest. It’s especially nice that young people don’t have to talk long. There are guys who call and ask who needs help and where to go.

Such visits are important for both parties. Older people receive support in matters that are already difficult for them to cope with on their own, and young people have the opportunity to talk to representatives of the older generation, learn about their lives and learn from experience. In Plyanta, this communication continued in parallel with the work: while the students were putting things in order, Nina Vladimirovna gradually talked about herself.

For many years, Nina worked in the field of culture, including in the library. She studied in Tashkent and Leningrad, lived in different places, but books remained an important part of her life. Today, the home library of Nina Zaretskaya has more than two thousand publications, among which there are rare ones. With the printed word, she still reads and writes poems published in several collective collections.

When all the affairs in the yard were finished, Nina Vladimirovna offered to read one of her works to the guests. The students agreed unanimously. The choice was symbolic: the hostess opened the poem "My Brest" - about the city from which volunteers came to her on this rainy day:

Let them say, "The periphery is not the capital." But the city will not cover the shadow of the province. And the inhabitants of your friendly faces With a smile I meet every day.

When Nina Vladimirovna finished reading, the guys talked to her a little more about poetry and Brest. Before leaving, the hostess took the tomatoes out of her greenhouse. Paul tried one, and after the first bite, he spread out in a smile:

- Delicious!

The guys laughed, and Nina Vladimirovna promised to collect tomatoes with her. Students came to Plyanta to help with the housework, and left with homemade treats and poems, which were now associated not only with Brest, but also with their new acquaintance from the house No. 7.