The Ministry of Pampered Life

The work principle of officials is primitive.

The other day I heard the conversation of two mothers.

- Do you also give money for Yuny Spasatel (Young Savior)? Screw it! Why is it published, if no one reads?

- Oh, let them publish! Do you also collect this waste paper during the school year? Well, we have a special box for it in the classroom. As soon as we get Yuny Spasatel we put it in the box.

Parents, journalists, writers wrote much about this newspaper. Its circulation is 90 thousand copies! It falls behind only Sovetskaya Belorussia (SovBel)! About a forced subscription of two to three copies per class. About calendered paper others can only dream about. About the fact that it has the financing compared with the one of SovBel. But I remember other things. From my childhood.

My mailbox has long been filled only rent bills and advertising leaflets. But for the third year once a month my son and I have opened the mailbox with joy and anticipation of a funny good reading. This day we receive Polosataya Gazeta or Polosochka, as readers call it.

It's really very kind. It writes about the space and the nature, about school and cartoons, children and parents. And also about people with disabilities and homeless animals. I do not know other Belarusian edition for children which writes about poor, socially disadvantaged and seeking help. Polosochka really helps children to grow kind, to learn charity, to protect those who need it. And there are a lot of funny stories and beautiful pictures. And as mother and as journalist, I can tell you that it's a cool newspaper.

However, Polosochka is created by one person – the primary school teacher Anna Hranouskaya. Once she decided that Belarus lacks such a children's edition which teaches to be kind. And she did it on her own. "As a kitchen-table effort", as it is usually said. She learned the layout and pre-pressing. Because Anna understands that today's children will become adults 10-15 years later, and it will be great if they can still create a barrier-free environment in our country after learning simple lessons of Polosochka. Because Anna Hranouskaya considers, if the chief architect of Minsk was friends with Pyotr on a wheelchair in their childhood, then he would certainly remember how he helped on the subway.

My son's favorite newspaper is about to be five years old. Its circulation is 1.500 copies. And every year Anna works over the cost reduction of the newspaper. And it requires a greater circulation. And it requires advertising. Advertising needs money. And so on... This is the circle many Belarusians experienced. Anna honestly in state contests, won them, received diplomas and got no support for the newspaper. Because she does it on her own. She tried to cooperate with public structures which work with children. The same Ministry of Emergency Situations and the traffic police have the staff who are engaged in this. Anna knocked on every door and explained that she did not need anything from them, but to mention her edition when they visited schools. After all, her edition has standing heads about fire safety and traffic rules. They refused her because she did it on her own.

Just imagine this. An individual entrepreneur who pays taxes and supports herself comes to a public structure and offers her cool product. Every issue of it has materials which are included in all prospective plans and functional duties of a public structure. In fact, she has done the greater part of work of employees of the structure. it's only left to mention it a newsletter or to take the Polosochka leaflet for mandatory meetings at schools (they go their at least once a quarter and tell students that it's games with matches are dangerous). It would seem they should be grateful for such a work and give her a hug. But they say she is the individual entrepreneur and do not beg the state for money. After all, you're weird and we will not help you with it.

However, all these Ministry of Emergency Situations, the traffic police and others are just small divisions of a great Ministry of Pampered Life of officials. Their work principle is primitive: do everything so that we could do nothing. But first we design quests and marathons for you to abandon all your thoughts as soon as you crawl to the finish.

But Hranouskaya holds on. For five years she has been involved in this race, overtaking numerous "young saviors" and falling when they lay snares. Now she is going to China. It turns out it may be cheaper to buy out paper there. Because Polosochka should exist. It teaches children to be kind.

These days many editions write about women who have started their own business. March 8 is the day to tell about them. Here are a banker, a designer, an owner of a beauty salon, an owner of a fintess club. And I've decided to keep to the mainstream these days: here is Anna Hranouskaya and her Polosataya Gazeta. Here is the circle she has to run only to let children know that the country must be barriers-free, and people must be kind.

P.S. If someone believes I do my best to push Polosataya Gazeta, well, I do. As soon as Polosochka has millions of copies, I will surely tell Hranouskaya with an irritating and gravel voice: "Do you remember?..."

Iryna Khalip specially for Charter97.org