Mother-heroine receives just Br 700 000 as material aid for five children

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Euroradio found out how the mothers whom the President awarded with the Order of the Mother live.

This award is given to women who have five and more children. Alena Rabkouskaya from the village of Trakeninki has 5 - 2 girls and 3 boys. Alena used to work as a cloakroom attendant at school before the maternity leave.

Alena agreed to talk to Euroradio on the phone "while the youngest daughter is watching a cartoon".

Euroradio: Who will babysit your children when you will go to Minsk to collect your award?

Alena: My mother will look after the daughter, and all the rest will be at school... All of them go to school, apart from the youngest daughter - she has just turned two years old.

The family lives on the salary of Alena's husband while Alena is not working. Apart from that, they receive Br 150 000 a month as material aid for each child.

Alena: I receive only 50% of the material aid, 700 thousand for 5 children. I am not supposed to receive 100% as my husband has a big salary. So, what is it? Five children and 700 thousand... This is not money. I receive nothing more. We survive on our own.

I asked what is this big salary that her husband earns. Three million, she says. However, if we add 700 thousand to this some, and divide into 7 (the number of people in the family), we will get the minimum living wage. Household economy helps a lot, Alena says.

Alena: This money is nothing for my family. Winter suit for the youngest daughter costs 500 thousand. So what... If they gave this some to each family member, it would have been something... I keep the household... The kids are okay by now. They have what all the others have - we also have a computer. I keep a cow, and pigs. Sometimes I sell piglets...

Nadzeya Pyatrenka from Homel will also receive the Order of a Mother. She used to work at "Homel Wood" before, but now she is unemployed.

"It was difficult for me to get up at 5 every morning to dress up properly, to prepare the kids for the kindergarten... I have many kids, sometimes they were ill and my boss didn't like it... However, if I told that I had six kids from the start, no one would ever employ me".

Nadzeya Pyatrenka has six children!

Nadzeya: The eldest one, Kolya, is finishing college. Sasha and pasha are at school. Masha is in the first form at school, she goes in for sports gymnastics. One more daughter is in the kindergarten. The youngest son, Maxim, is 4 years old and he also goes to the kindergarten".

Nadzeya's parents and husband help to look after the children. When I ask her whether they have enough money, Nadzeya says "Money can't buy happiness". She built two apartments with the help of the state: one of them has 3 rooms, and another one, built just recently - 4 rooms...

"I never complain about the money, the state has helped us with potatoes - provided some money to buy them...»

Euroradio: How much does your husband earn?
Nadzeya: 1 200 000, approximately…

I wonder, how two adults and six kids can possibly survive on such a sum.

Nadzeya: "Masha goes to school so we need to dress her more or less. Natasha wears Masha's things after her, my sister also has a daughter, she helps us, gives some clothes... Naturally, it is hard. Sometimes our neighbour can give our eldest son jeans... She always helps us with clothes!"

One of the girls turns six tomorrow. I ask what gift she will get.

Nadzeya: "We'll buy a cake...In fact, I can buy a book. Some parents buy things for their children every day, we cannot do that. For example, if my youngest son asks me for a sweet, I'll go and buy it".

Mothers heroines will receive money together with their awards - about 2,5 million roubles.