Helping former political prisoner Maria Nesterova learn a new profession

  • Story

My name is Maria Nesterova. I am a former political prisoner who is now starting a new life in Georgia.

In 2020, I had hope for change in our country, so I became an independent observer. What I saw during the elections and afterwards did not leave me indifferent, and I continued to be active — I administered chat rooms of Belarusian enterprises, supported the idea of a general strike. In October 2020 I was detained near my apartment by the officers of the Main Department of Internal Affairs and convicted under Article 342 (Article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus — organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order). I returned to my apartment after three long and terrible years, which I don't want to remember.

Before my detention, I was a civil servant for many years, then I opened a sole proprietorship, and also earned money remotely — I did copywriting. During my detention, in violation of the law, I was charged contributions to the Social Security Fund. As a result of this, debts were incurred and my sole proprietorship went bankrupt, depriving me of my main source of income. Despite this, after my release, I stayed in Belarus to support my mother: she is 86 years old and needs help in everyday life. I stayed in the country for six months, earning a living with temporary part-time jobs. 

In mid-December 2023, I received word from knowledgeable people that I was to be detained again within a few days. It is hard to convey what I experienced at the thought of facing prison again and all the nightmare I had been through. After receiving that message, I just walked out of the house and never went back. I left the country with an old passport, no visa and practically empty-handed. Thanks to BYSOL, I was evacuated to Georgia, where I now live, deal with the issues of applying for political asylum and continue to work part-time in the copywriting industry. 

To support myself in a foreign country and not depend on the language barrier, I plan to work remotely. My eyesight has deteriorated during my detention, so it is difficult for me to work online from a cell phone screen. In addition, I would like to master new for me actual directions of online earning. This is promotion and monetization of YouTube channel, as well as work as a manager of marketplaces. I would very much like to create my own site under the business idea that I was born in prison (it would be interesting to realize it, including as help to our political prisoners). For this I need a good laptop, which does not fail, has a large screen with high resolution (I save the remnants of my vision) and can work with graphic editors.

Thank you!

How much is needed?

€2300

NOTEBOOK ASUS ROG STRIX G16 (90NR0D42-M003W0) 16" IPS WQXGA 165HZ RTX4070 8GB I9-13950HX 16GB DDR5 1TB M.2
https://gitec.ge/en/notebook-asus-rog-strix-g16-90nr0d42-m003w0-16-ips-wqxga-165hz-rtx4070-8gb-i9-13950hx-16gb-ddr5-1tb-m2

The collection is over. Сollected:
€ 2 305
The collection is over. Сollected: € 2 305