About us

Welcome to a new space in Vilnius dedicated to Belarusian human rights, community and culture! As a team of local initiatives we represent both old and new Belarusian diasporas in Vilnius. We are enthusiastic and determined to create a safe and inclusive space for every Belarusian that has suffered from the actions of Belarusian authorities. We strive to create a place for meeting, experience exchange and collaboration between local and newly arrived Belarusians as well as Vilnius residents and Lithuanian citizens.

You can find us in a beautiful building, located on Vilnius str. 20 (court entrance). This building is graciously provided by Vilnius city municipality.

Currently there are four organisations involved in the making of the center:

  • Headquarters of a media hub ZUBR.in, a creator of public monitoring projects dedicated to registering cases of 2020 Belarusian Presidential election fraud, court monitoring and reporting on human rights violations in Belarus.

  • Belarusian I. Lutskevich museum presents exhibitions on art and heritage, as well as community activities. The museum continues the work of the first-ever Belarusian museum, which opened in Vilnius exactly a century ago in 1921, and continued to work up until 1939 Soviet occupation, when the museum was dismantled and many of its staff faced Stalinist repressions.

  • Public organisation “Centre of Teacher’s Education”: an initiative promoting contemporary Western pedagogical strategies and approaches for teachers, parents and educators.

  • Public organisation “Centre of Immirant Business Development”: a NGO which helps immigrants, especially Belarusian and Ukrainian women to create and develop their business ideas in Lithuania and to integrate in the country better.

Every week we have a range of activities for adults and children. Adults in our center:

  • learn the Lithuanian language;
  • can receive psychological help;
  • visit changing art and heritage exhibitions;
  • go to folk singing and folk art circles;
  • practice their Belarusian language in the lectures of linguist Vincuk Viachorka;
  • borrow books from our library;
  • write letters to Belarusian political prisoners;
  • attend lectures on various topics: from health to human rights to culture;
  • go to concerts;
  • parents meet in the “Parents School”, where they discuss current issues with a psychologist.

Kids meanwhile…

  • on Saturdays and Sundays go to the Belarusian school, where they learn the Belarusian language and traditional handicrafts;
  • attend a theater studio, where they learn choreography, vocals, and of course, acting;
  • learn Lithuanian, English and Polish languages;
  • attend the choir, robotics, programming, and art clubs, and watch movies dubbed in Belarusian together;
  • read children’s books in our library;
  • participate in celebrations and events intended specifically for children;
  • go to a psychologist, and children with special needs meet in a group of neuroatypical children led by a specialist;
  • teenagers attend group therapy.

Would you like to join our work, make your event on our grounds, support us or ask something? Write us at hello@vilnia.com . Can’t wait to meet you!