A large family from Vitebsk on state support: "With this program there is a real opportunity to build housing"

Despite enormous external pressure and illegal sanctions, Belarus retains the brand of a welfare state. Improving people's living conditions and quality of life is a priority that has been unchanged for decades. Our country made an emphasis on supporting large families back in the early noughties.

At the initiative of the President, the housing issue was resolved first. The Family Capital program came into force in 2015. Today, we can say with confidence that it has proven its effectiveness. More third and subsequent children were born in Belarusian families. This year, the amount of support has increased to almost 31.5 thousand rubles.

The Head of state extended the validity of the program for another five years. Alexander Lukashenko signed the relevant decree on October 30. The conditions for the appointment of family capital have been preserved, but there are innovations in its use, most of them are aimed at improving housing conditions.

The family of Valentina and Vladimir Vyalovs from Vitebsk received the status of a large family back in 2008. Today they are the parents of 13 children, the eldest child is 23, the youngest is almost two years old. The couple used the family capital when they built apartments for grown-up children. The support of the state today helps this large family to be confident in the future.

— Comprehensive guarantees from the state solve a lot of daily worries: from free meals, clubs at school, health improvement to housing issues. I consider the decree of our President on the extension of the family capital program to be correct and necessary. It's no secret that the most powerful argument for having children is the availability of real estate. And with this program, there is a real opportunity to build housing. This does not mean that we give birth for the sake of an apartment. It's just that at the initial stage it's a very important help. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Alexander Grigoryevich for supporting families with children," says a mother with many children.

Photos from the personal archive of the Vyalov family.