The name of Halina Kazimirovskaya has become synonymous with courage for many Belarusians. Today, Halina, who has endured arrest, interrogations, days in the Minsk temporary detention facility and forced emigration, is facing an enemy that cannot be defeated with song – cancer.
In 2020, the “Volny Choir” turned music into a powerful tool of peaceful protest. Under the vaults of shopping centres and on the steps of philharmonic halls, hundreds of voices sang about freedom until the regime recognized the group as an extremist entity. Halina and her family, like many choir members, were forced to leave the country due to political persecution.
For a creative person, emigration is a struggle for the right to remain in the profession. Halina chose a difficult path: instead of assimilating and forgetting the past, she began creating “her own Belarus outside Belarus.” In Warsaw, she opened an arts school to save her colleagues from unskilled migrant labour, and brought together children and adults through their love of art and Belarusian culture. In addition, the “Volny Choir” continues its mission, bringing the voice of Belarusians to different parts of Europe.
Despite her immense workload, this work brought Halina almost no income. Her only source of livelihood was private vocal lessons. But at the beginning of this year, everything changed.
The diagnosis of cancer became the ordeal that now requires our help and support. After going through shock and denial, she accepted the challenge and is fighting the illness with all her strength. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy, with surgery and further courses of chemo- and radiotherapy ahead.
Each course of chemotherapy is an exhausting battle. Recovery takes several days, and just as you begin to regain strength, a new dose of powerful drugs drains it again. In this condition, Halina cannot work and currently has no money for her family’s basic needs – rent and food; and with two minor children, it is impossible to cut costs significantly.
Chemotherapy has severely affected her overall health. The toxicity of the treatment damages the liver and other organs, worsens her general condition, and causes significant pain. Throughout the treatment, expensive medications are required to support her body and reduce severe pain.
Halina is used to relying only on herself. But now she finds herself in a situation of desperation: the illness has taken away her ability to teach, and therefore her means of livelihood.
She cannot afford to pay rent, buy basic food, or cover the cost of essential medications needed to recover between chemotherapy courses. To continue treatment and defeat cancer, Halina needs support for the next 6 months.
Fundraising goal
€8500
€6300 – apartment rent for 6 months + utilities
€1700 – food for 6 months
€500 – medications