A mother in Volgograd region is demanding accommodation in a kindergarten for her child by means of an open-ended hunger strike

On May, 13, Marina Ziuryaeva, a twenty-three-year old single mother in Volgograd region, went on an open-ended hunger strike for the reason of getting no reply from the authorities to her request of accommodation her child in a kindergarten. 

Ziuryaeva had submitted her request to regional Committee of Education, district administration, territorial department of guardianship, Committee of Education of Volgograd Administration and the Administration of the President of Russia.

"I am bringing up my son alone getting miserable allowances, volgograd.ru portal quotes Marina Ziuryaeva. - For over four years I have been on the waiting list in guardianship institutions of Gorodishensky district for receiving dwelling. I rent a room of eight square meters for my child and myself in Gorodishe. I always work up to pay the rent and buy food for my child. I write test papers in geology and geodesy for external students, type texts at night. My son is already 2,5 years old now and we are facing a new problem: kindergarten". 

According to Marina, her son has been on the waiting list since 2009. She was told that she had no privileges and had to wait on the common list. "I must go to work immediately in order to pay the rent and feed my child. The money I had saved before will be enough for no more than a month or two. I had only hoped for the kindergarten. So, what am I to do now and where should I get money on food and clothes for my son? Where am I to live?" - Marina asks. 

Earlier, 16 young mothers already tried to draw local authorities' attention to the problem of the lack of kindergartens by means of a hunger strike. Svetlana Orlova, Deputy Chairman of State Duma, had a meeting with the participants of hunger strikes and pickets. She called for them not to take such drastic measures trying to solve the problem. During the same meeting Irina Guseva, Deputy Head of "United Russia" parliamentary group, reported that when considering the regional budget for 2012 - 2014 the deputies would be solving the problem of including articles of expenditure on compensation to the parents for compelled non-attendance of kindergartens by their children. The sum of the compensation may make 2 to 3 thousand rubles.