Background:

Inhabited, claimed and ruled by various nations throughout its early history, during the 19th century Belarus was alternately ruled by Poland and Russia. During WWI, Germany claimed Belarus and in 1921 the country was divided between Poland and Russia (which would become the USSR the following year). During the next two decades, Belarus was passed back and forth between USSR and Germany, leaving the country in ruins in the aftermath of WWII, when it came again under the Soviet control.

Belarus became an independent nation in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) after the collapse of communism in 1991.

Hi Kidz came to Belarus in 1991 and now runs ministries in Minsk, Gomel, Grodno, Mogiliov, as well as in the towns of Kobrin, Stolin, Volkovisk, and Polotsk. Many of the children who come to our camps are not only very poor, but also handicapped or ill, suffering from the long-lasting effects of the 1986 Tchernobyl nuclear reactor explosion in Ukraine, near the Belarus border.

Pearl (Zhemchuzhinka) Children’s Healthcare Center has been operating since 1995 as an independent juridical entity. Situated on a 20-hectare property (a former military base) seven kilometers from Kobrin, this modern facility has a capacity of receiving 230 guests and is well equipped for providing medical diagnosis and care.

Hi Kidz works closely with the Pearl Center to organize children’s camps from June to August, welcoming 420 children and young people every summer. During the camps, the children undergo medical and dental examinations and necessary treatment. Throughout the rest of the year, the facilities are also used for training seminars and church events.

• Population:
• 9.649 million
• 14.3% are children 0-14 years
• Population living below poverty line: 27%

• Religion:
• 
• Eastern Orthodox 80%
• other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20%

• Location:
• 
• Eastern Europe

• Capital:
• Minsk

• Government:
• Republic

• Languages:
• Belarussian
• Russian

• 
• 
• 
•