B.O.P. also organises groups of Volunteers to travel to Minsk during the winter season.

Christmas Project;

For one week over the Christmas Holiday season including Christmas day, a team of Volunteers give up their Irish Christmas to spend time with the kids and adults in our care in Minsk. Our ‘western’ Christmas is also slowly becoming a holiday in Belarus, where Father Frost (Santa) traditionally comes on New Years Eve. As the temperature is well below  zero degrees and the ground is usually covered in a blanket of powder white snow, most of our kids and residents tend to stay indoors, so lots of games, parties and concerts are organised.. Everyone is kitted out in their finest Christmas gear and the volunteers travel from one institution to another to spread goodwill and good cheer!. Celebrating Christmas with the kids makes you childlike also!! as you rediscover your childhood but this time you are in a fairytale environment with Snowmen to build, and snowballs to paste at unsuspecting colleagues...

Volunteers fly from Ireland to Minsk and everything is arranged in Minsk prior to their arrival, including their Visas, Insurance, Transport, Hotel and we even pre-book their trip to the Russian Christmas Circus and the Bolshoi Ballet. The City is decked out in all the colours of Christmas and this with clear crystal blue skies, bright sunshine and snow adds to create a picture postcard impression of the season. Everyday including Christmas Day is spent with the staff and kids of the Novinki Orphanage and the team dress in their Santa Outfits and all 217+ Children get a personal visit from Santa and receive their special Gift. We also visit Draznia and Semashko where Christmas concerts are put on in which we participate.

Christmas Night can be spent Ice Skating around the Giant Christmas tree in the City Square, after a great meal in the Hotel.

It is a truly magical time in Minsk and if you have never experienced a white Christmas, then this is the perfect opportunity to do so. To apply you can download and complete the form on the Application page.

New Years Project;

Similar to the Christmas Trip, a team of Volunteers travel to Minsk for the week after Christmas and stay over the new Years Weekend. New Years in Belarus is a far bigger celebration than Christmas and it is on New Years Eve that ‘Father Frost’ (Santa)  comes to visit all the kids and if they have been good, then they receive a special present. The Volunteers work in 3 Institutions during their week and spend time organising and participating in Concerts, Discos, Parties and Games. The Kids of the Novinki Orphanage get a personal visit from Santa and his helpers on New Years Day and this time they receive their New Years gift! Outside of work time, Volunteers spend time Ice Skating, Sledging and Skiing as again there is no shortage of snow.. No matter your age, outdoor sports are for everyone and this is a great opportunity to get to experience a real White Russian Winter and New Years.

Minsk has no shortage of places to go and things to do and nothing closes due to the Snow and freezing temperatures. Everything is again organised by the project for our Volunteers prior to arriving in Minsk so that the maximum of time is spent with those in our care celebrating the New Year and the year ahead.

Volunteers stay at a Hotel in the city centre, close to all amenities, transport and restaurants. The festive season is tangible once you leave the airport and every day there are different events held in the main square which are open to the public including live concerts and outdoor skating rinks.

The most frequently asked question asked by volunteers is in reference to the cold.. The winter cold in Minsk is unlike that which we experience in Ireland as it is not damp. After a day or two, you will no longer find you need to wear your thermals and warm jackets, denims and good sturdy boots are all you will need. Hats, scarves and gloves help protect you from any wind chill that may occasionally occur.

Everything operates without change in wintertime.. Buses and Taxis are on time and with the exception of the Lakes and Rivers being frozen over, the basic infrastructure is generally the same. One observation by volunteers is the incredible stillness and silence associated with the blanket of snow which covers everything and is replenished overnight.

The Kids are excited when the project begins, their best clothes are taken out and its party, concert and disco time while the ‘BOP redshirts are in da house!’

Again the photographs on this page, like all of the shots, were taken by volunteers over the past few years and give you a great impression of what is involved if you travel to this veritable ‘winter wonderland’.

 

Dates for future Winter projects are available by emailing bop1@eircom.net

 

Winter Projects

Volunteering in Belarus at Christmas and New Years during the White Belarusian Winter...