Good afternoon, dear Belarusians!
Now I am a forced emigrant in Poland, but before that I was engaged in civic activism in Belarus for many years. From 2015 to 2020, I was a participant of movements that advocated for the development of civil society in Belarus, defended the principles of equality, social justice and democracy. In 2020, during the presidential election campaign in Belarus, I took part in several democratic initiatives: I was an independent observer at the elections, went to peaceful protests against falsifications, sent donations to BYSOL to support people who suffered from repressions, supported the unjustly convicted in courts, helped journalists, printed and distributed leaflets, etc.
It was impossible to stay aside from what was happening in the country: I deeply sympathized with all the victims of the atrocities of the criminal Belarusian regime and tried to do my best to express my solidarity with these people. I believed that the ability of Belarusians to self-organize, unite and help each other could lead to changes in the society, so I tried to participate and took part as much as I could.
My activity did not go unnoticed, and half a year ago I started to receive threats from Belarusian law enforcers. I was forced to apply to BYSOL for help in evacuation and urgently left the country.
I am very grateful to fate that now I am safe in Poland and have received international protection. Unfortunately, this whole situation with the unexpected move has affected my mental and physical health. I have been diagnosed with depression, insomnia, anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as chronic exacerbations of diseases. I have nightmares every night, experience periodic panic attacks and pain. As a result, it has become difficult for me to handle the simplest tasks because I have almost no energy left for anything.
(BYSOL has supporting medical documentation)
I used to have a lot of interests, hobbies and plans for the future, but now they seem to have disappeared, giving way to endless fatigue, apathy and a depressed mood. This situation is very difficult to accept because I never thought that my whole life would one day be derailed by health problems (and at a fairly young age) and that I would not be able to influence it.
In order to get back to normal life, I need to undergo a long course of psychotherapy and medical rehabilitation, but I don't have this possibility in Poland yet. In order to see a free specialist, I have to wait for a long time, and not every kind of therapy is available for free. And in order to take a paid course, I need a lot of financial resources, which I do not have yet.
As a result, I decided to seek help from you, hoping that you will understand and support me. I will be grateful for any help!
How much is needed?
€2800
€1600 — psychotherapy course (about 20 meetings)
€300 — medication
€900 — medical rehabilitation (approximately 20 appointments)