Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited the shelter in Vilnius run by the Humanitarian Emergency Service. She was given a tour of the facility, where former political prisoners, their families, and Belarusian activists are staying.
The leader met with the shelter residents, who, in an open and warm conversation, told their personal stories of facing persecution in Belarus and moving to Lithuania.
Here are the key takeaways from the meeting:
👉🏻 The residents highlighted existing problems and shared their experiences of solving them. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office exchanged contacts with the shelter residents for future collaboration.
👉🏻 The parties discussed former political prisoners’ fears about seeking help from humanitarian organizations and addressed the need to tackle these issues together by utilizing horizontal connections.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I am deeply grateful to everyone for the warm and friendly atmosphere. Thank you for sharing your stories and discussing the issues you’re facing. Meetings like this leave a feeling of heartfelt gratitude for how much Belarusians contribute to helping one another. This care for each other constitutes our solidarity, which makes it certain that there’s always someone to turn to in a tough moment. After so many trials, emigration, and challenges, there’s a place where you will be embraced and supported”.
The Humanitarian Emergency Service and a group of activists maintain shelters for Belarusian refugees in three countries and four cities around the world, including in Vilnius (Lithuania), Batumi (Georgia), Wrocław, and Warsaw (Poland).
