“We have never asked for support, we always managed on our own. But now, without help and solidarity, the consequences could be fatal for our family – up to deportation to Belarus and criminal prosecution.”
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Natalia Makavetskaya worked as a teacher in Vitebsk. She lived an ordinary life and raised her children. In September 2020 she became the mother of a political prisoner, lost her job, hid from law enforcers and eventually was forced to emigrate. She is now in Poland, awaiting a decision on her status, and is in need of support.
Viktoria* is currently in exile; her mother is the one preparing the care packages. Supporting her husband is expensive: despite her daughter’s help, the woman has fallen into debt. But care packages are essential – in detention the man has lost weight and suffered a severe case of COVID, so he needs medicine and warm clothing.
Dzmitry Paliyenka, a former political prisoner and activist of the anarchist movement, has found himself in a difficult situation after a serious hand fracture. He needs help to pay for treatment, medication, housing, and rehabilitation during a period of forced incapacity.
To avoid being forced into cooperating with the KGB, Eugene fled to Serbia. Now he is trying to rebuild his life after losing his home and business.
Artsiom Karotkevich was detained in 2023. While he was already behind bars, the Telegram chat he moderated was designated as an extremist entity.
Aleksei Prokhorov spent three years in a colony for a comment on social media. His health deteriorated in prison, and he was added to the “terrorist lists”. Because of this, all his accounts were frozen, he was unable to work, and only after evacuating to Poland did he gain hope of rebuilding his life.
Ilya was sentenced under a criminal article for his civic activity, and his wife was deported from Belarus. They were only able to reunite in Poland, where Ilya is now trying to restore his health and adapt to a new life.
The large family of Yulia Laptanovich has gone through tremendous trials – imprisonment, separation, and finally reunion in a foreign country. After three surgeries performed while she was in prison, Yulia’s health is in poor condition, and her family now needs help and support.
On his way from Vilnius to Berlin for a conference, Andrei Kvashevich was robbed by a fellow passenger, who stole his belongings, money, and documents.
A group of Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine works with UAVs and is raising funds for an electric bike to enable fast and safe trips on the front.
A man from Minsk joined the protests, was wounded by a stun grenade, spent five years in a correctional facility, immigrated to Poland, and now urgently needs support.
Anna’s two sons were detained on the same day in October – for an entire day she didn’t know where her children were. Now both are in a remand centre, accused of taking part in the protests.
The politician was imprisoned twice, the second time sentenced to 2.5 years under the “people’s” Article 342 of the Criminal Code of Belarus. He was released in July 2024 and left Belarus that autumn due to the threat of another arrest.
A Belarusian volunteer fighter asks for support. After a year and a half serving as a UAV operator, he joined the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is raising funds for a vehicle. The car is needed for rapid evacuation, logistics, and training new drone operators.
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After undergoing heart surgery, Siarhei is now in recovery and cannot work yet. He needs help to cover the costs of medication, medical examinations, and housing during rehabilitation.
In August 2020, Pavel Lukoyanov was outraged by how cynically the authorities deceived Belarusians. “I just went out to express my disagreement with what was happening,” says Pavel. “I took part in signature collection campaigns and joined the marches for two months after the election.”
Ilya “Lom” is a Belarusian volunteer who has been helping Ukraine and Belarusians both on the front line and in the rear since 2022. After injuries, he needs support to recover his health and repair his legendary van, which has saved lives and helped hundreds of people.
The family of Emiliya Pranskute and Vladimir Tikhonovich found themselves in Lithuania because of political persecution. Having left their entire past life in Belarus, they lived on Vladimir’s modest earnings. In September, he was hit by a car, and during his treatment and recovery, their family ended up in a desperate financial situation.
Denis Spiridovich was forced to flee Belarus. He is now in Poland without the right to work and is fighting for the chance to reunite with his husband. The funds are needed for legal assistance, document processing, and basic living expenses during this process.
The Belarusian Solidarity Centre provides legal, educational and cultural support to Belarusians in Poland. Today its work is threatened. The Centre urgently needs financial support.
The Kosht Urada project team is asking for help to continue work on its related project “Open Procurement”, which identifies violations in public procurement in Belarus.
Belarusian independent media Reform.by is on the verge of closure. But thanks to you we will be able to keep the team of our journalists-newsmen and not to stop the work.