Stories

“The choice was difficult but quick: freedom.” Belarusian pensioners on life in Poland

Aliaksandr Ivachou, member of the Presidium of the Council of the Elderly in Warsaw. Warsaw, Poland. December 29, 2025. Photo: Raul Duke / Belsat
Aliaksandr Ivachou, member of the Presidium of the Council of the Elderly in Warsaw. Warsaw, Poland. December 29, 2025. Photo: Raul Duke / Belsat

Life from scratch in a foreign country, meager pensions (and some do not have any), and the need to work while you have the strength to do so, to have a roof over your head, and at the same time, a lot of inner strength and gratitude to a new place and people who helped and did not leave you alone. This is what unites 12 Belarusians and Ukrainians of retirement age, who told about themselves in mini-films within the framework of the project "Warsaw through the eyes of the elderly", the presentation of which took place on December 29.