The history of Zelva’s social service

On January 5, the social service of Belarus turns 100 years old. The history of the social welfare authorities in Zelva dates back somewhat later. And yet, not many people know how it all began.

“I’m in district office!” — this phrase is heard today by the security service of the district executive committee, when the elderly are sent to the pensions and benefits department of the labor, employment and social protection departments. Created in August 1966, it was later repeatedly combined with other structures, which is why the service received such a long name.

– Until 1966, pensions as such were not there at all. At first, they began to be issued to collective farm workers, and only then the turn came to specialists of organizations and enterprises, – recalls the former head of the department, Lyudmila Gornaya. – What did raysobes do? Appointed pensions. Since until 1967 the territory of Zelva region was part of the Volkovysk district, the service was engaged in restoring lost documents. Then, as now, there were no electronic databases. Pensions were assigned manually. Girls all day to drum wooden bills. Many of the employees, by the way, had only secondary or vocational education. But over the years they developed such skills that they remained competitive and worked until retirement.

In July 1990, a home welfare unit began operating in Zelva. About half a year he was headed (and worked in the state alone) Inessa Lysaya (generally worked for 14 years). Over time, the state has expanded.

– The social service machine appeared somewhere in the late 90s,” recalls Maria Kukolovich, who worked for 23 years in the department as deputy head, as well as a specialist in social work. — Our department supervised the entire area. Sometimes, we traveled to the most remote villages, not only by bus or traveling, but also on foot. When, for valid reasons, social workers could not visit their wards, we went to help. To whom water and firewood to bring, who for food and medicine to go. These services, as a rule, add heart-to-heart talk, which lonely old people need so much. I remember that in the advanced training courses that we took every 5 years, the psychologist strongly recommended learning to abstract from other people’s problems, otherwise, by absorbing all the experiences, you can go crazy. It happened that older people, having forgotten where they shared this or that thing, accused of stealing a social worker. And to whom is there anything you can prove? .. And it happened, on the contrary, we were accompanied for a long time with special trembling gratitude.

As an independent institution, the territorial center of social services began to function only in 2003. Over the years, its directors were Galina Sapega, Valentina Mosko, Inna Masevich. Today the center is headed by Svetlana Jamojtina.

There are 6 branches in the institution. What is their story?

In 2008, the daytime department for disabled people opens. After 6 years, for budgetary funds it is possible to purchase a vehicle equipped with a lifting device for people with limited mobility. This allowed pulling up young people with disabilities from the farthest corners of the district.

Today, regular visitors — 29 people. Some of them are laureates and prize-winners of the international competition “Slavic Bazaar”. From 2014 to 2016, they occupied third places, and in 2017 they “grabbed” the second.

In 2012, a 24-hour office for senior citizens and people with disabilities (35 places) starts working in the village of Madeyki. After 5 years, a social library will open here, numbering about 1,000 copies of books.

The house of self-living for 7 people in the village of October earned in January 2015. And literally a month later, a day care unit opened in Zelva for senior citizens. It is visited by over 50 people. In addition to five diverse circles, it has a club for the visually impaired. A group of initiative visitors united in a volunteer club «To longevity through the movement.»

Since 2014, new forms of social services at home have been introduced — “foster family”, “guest family”, “mutual aid house and social support”, implemented projects “Sanatorium at home”, “Accessible beach”, as well as together with “Valuyntas” TCSS helps orphans adapt in the real world. For the Zelives who have been trafficked or have suffered from violence, natural disasters or fires, a “Crisis Room” has been created.

For residents of the agro-town of Carolin, the year 2018 becomes special — the TCSS opens here its own branch and center of active longevity:On the territory of the Karolinsky Village Council live 1062 people. About half of this population is elderly.

– One of the main reasons why we grow and develop here is the desire not only to increase the accessibility and quality of social services provided to citizens, but also to develop the creative potential of local residents, to improve the infrastructure of the agro-town, – Svetlana Zamoitina comments.

Today, 6569 people are registered with the TCSS. Of these, 4,420 are elderly citizens living alone and living alone, 13 veterans of the Second World War. In addition, assistance is provided to 193 large families and 263 incomplete families.

140 people work in the social service system itself. Every year, portraits of employees of the Center for Social Security Service appear on the district Honor Board, many are awarded certificates by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus, regional, district executive committees and Councils of Deputies.

So, this year 10 people have already been noted: Olga Shpetnaya, Lyudmila Gornaya, Lyudmila Myslitskaya, Svetlana Makatsevich, Maria Schurko, Irina Yankovskaya, Natalya Glushenya, Lyudmila Savko, Elena Labetskaya and Mikhail Makovetsky.

Photos from the archive of workers of social service.