An exhibition of family photos "Thousands of Discoveries" was launched in Minsk. The goal of the exhibition is to strengthen and promote family values, and to contribute to the public’s appreciation of the importance of family in everyone’s life.

The exhibition "Thousands of Discoveries" was organized by the United Nations Population Fund, ALUTECH Group of companies, Larisa Gribalyova Event Agency and the Belarusian family portal rebenok.by.

 "There are over 2 million 691 thousand families in Belarus. Over 8 million people or 86% of the population of the country are related to each other as family. Each family has its own unique history. In some families a man or a woman are bringing up their children as single parents, in others official registration of a partnership is not viewed as a matter of importance; some families have one child, and others have three. Everyone makes their own choices, and we, in our turn, should support all types of families and allow everyone space for development. Our project serves to remind everyone once again how important it is to spend time together no matter whether the family is large or small. We hope that the example of the heroes of our exhibition will encourage Belarusians to look for even more exciting occasions to meet and celebrate", said Sanaka Samarasinha, UNDP/UNFPA Resident Representative at the exhibition opening.

The heroes of the exhibition are Belarusian families, which told the organizers about the happiest moments of their family life. About 70 families shared their unique stories. For the authors of 30 best stories (according to organizers) professional photo shoots were arranged as a gift to let them relive the emotions they described in their contest stories.

Larisa Gribalyova, Director of the Event Agency, mentioned that Belarusians are becoming more and more interested in spending time with their families in a non-conventional manner: "Among so many stories the topic of active outdoor activities has become the most popular: from picnics to family sports events. It is important that despite the quick pace of life parents are increasingly interested in creating conditions for active outdoor activities of their children by taking their mind off their everyday concerns".

The following Belarusian photographers agreed to help tell the stories of happy Belarusian families: Tatyana Tikhomirova, Olga-Anna Kanashits, Sergei Mikhalenko and Pavel Potashnikov. The exhibition also features the works of Alexander Konotop, Pavel Teplitsky and Mariya Tupalskaya.

 During the opening of the exhibition a family celebration was organized featuring some Belarusian pop artists: Larisa Gribalyova, Sasha Nemo, Galina Shishkova, and others.

Vladimir Rybakov, Marketing Director of the ALUTECH Group of Companies spoke about the importance of family recreation and promoting family values in Belarusian organizations.

"When speaking about their system of values, our employees rate families the highest. We understand this, as it is exactly family support that gives the powerful impetus that allows us to move forward, achieve new heights and deal with any non-routine situations. And that is why we organize excursions, outdoor activities, playing lasertag and paintball and other events for the company personnel, where they come to participate as families".

The exhibition will be on till 1 October 2014. You can see the photos of the "Thousands of Discoveries" project along the central alley of the Gorky Park. 

 For details please contact Volha Herasenka, Communications Assistant, UNFPA Belarus, tel.: 80291786700 or e-mail: herasenka@unfpa.org