Belarus celebrates Mother's Day for 15th time.  

The President congratulated the Belarusian mothers.

Natalya Martseleva reports: In Belarus the holiday of Protection of the Holy Mother of God and Mother's Day are celebrated on the same day. The Holy Mother of God protects all the people, mothers also take care of their families and children.
(priest Vadim Skrund, clerk of the parish of the church in honor of All Saints (Minsk): "The main thing is the desire of everyone to come to church and pray for mediation from the Holy Mother of God.")
Inna Mikhliuk has 6 children. She has lots of cares, but it is great happiness for her to be a mother of many children, because each one of them has his own character and individuality.
(Inna Mikhliuk, mother of many children)
More than 70,000 women became mothers this year, the number of families of many children also grew. The questions about benefits, allowances and one-time payments were the most popular during the on-line conference on the web-site of Belteleradiocompany. Today our guest was the Head of the Belarusian Public Association of Parents of Many Children, mother of 5 children, Tatiana Kravchenko. She is sure that being a mother and making a career is possible if you have government support.
(Tatiana Kravchenko, Head of the Public Association "Belarusian Association of Parents of Many Children"): "The family practically gets free housing. Families of many children don't have to pay for nursery school and school books, they have 50 percent off land taxes, income taxes and customs benefits. There is big number of benefits for families of many children.")
The mothers were honored today at the Council of Ministers. 25 women from all regions of the country were invited to this festive reception.
(Vladimir Potupchik, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus: "Motherhood is hard labor, it requires responsibility, tolerance, patience and understanding.")
(Maria Grinkevich, mother of 4 children, Head of the Council of Deputies of the Zabolotskiy District of the Voronovskiy Region: "We all feel government support. Women started to give birth to more children, because we feel this support.")
Being a mother in Belarus is better than in other CIS countries. The researchers of the International Organization "Save the Children" made a rating of motherhood in 173 countries of the world. Belarus is on the 33rd place. The Order of Mother is the greatest sign of mother valor. Since the moment the Order was established, more than 6,400 women received it. The Mayor of Minsk Nikolai Ladutko was surprised that only 2 of the rewarded mothers are housekeepers, the others are successfully combining motherhood and their career.
5 women received the Order of Mother in Grodno today.
(Aliciya Gaiduk, mother of many children)
Thousands of women received congratulations from the Head of the State, including Anzhelika Gubik from Derzhinsk. She is a mother of 7 children, 6 of her own and 1 adopted little girl. Anzhelika is sure that being a mother is an affair of national importance. Each woman becomes a real woman after becoming a good mother.