"A little nest where we can feel at peace": the story of a big family that found a home in Belarus

In the autumn of 2024, a family that now numbers seven came to Belarus — Elizaveta, her husband and four children; the fifth, the youngest, was born here. When the armed conflict broke out in Ukraine, the family was forced to leave home in search of safety, and after a long journey they finally found refuge in Belarus. It was here that, in Elizaveta's own words, the family was able to breathe out for the first time in a long while. "What always struck us about Belarus was the incredible cleanliness of the streets. When we first arrived, that was the first thing that caught our eye — such order."

Remarkably, the first person to lend the family a helping hand in their new home turned out to be a young woman Elizaveta had never met in person. For many years she has played an online mobile game that has drawn together a whole international circle of friends from the most varied countries, and, knowing that a few of the players were from Belarus, she reached out in advance for at least some practical guidance. What she received in return was far more: even before the family arrived, her acquaintance from the game booked them an apartment for the night, so that the large family could rest after the long journey. And later, when the search for permanent housing dragged on and the family once again needed a roof over their heads, that same young woman helped again. In this way, someone from the other side of the virtual world became the family's first real support in a new place.

That support is hard to overestimate, because finding housing for a large family proved far from easy: some landlords refused outright, while others immediately doubled the rent. Against this backdrop, the selfless help of someone who was, at the time, barely an acquaintance turned out to be truly priceless.

Having rented an apartment for the long term, the family set about settling into their new home right away — the children had to be provided with everything they needed. Elizaveta, an economist by training who had worked many years in retail, soon found a job as a sales assistant in a jewellery shop — in a familiar and beloved profession, and just a fifteen-minute walk from home. Her husband, a metallurgist by education and a retail manager by experience, took the wheel of a taxi.

Elizaveta speaks of her children with the kind of love only a mother is capable of. The eldest, sixteen-year-old Sandra, is a gentle girl with long hair in whom a true techie lives. She watches videos about drifting, understands engines, and, hearing the sound of a motor outside the window, instantly guesses the make of the car. "She's already at the window: 'Mum, look, that one just drove by, it's got such-and-such an engine!' She's genuinely fascinated by it," Elizaveta laughs. Sandra's dream is to become a car mechanic.

Fifteen-year-old Sofia is the complete opposite of her older sister: calm, diligent and remarkably firm in character. "If she's said 'no,' then it's no; she has her own point of view — that's how she's been since birth, that firmness," her mother says. Sofia dreams of becoming a dentist and is ready to work on her chemistry to get closer to her dream. And thirteen-year-old Alesya, in her mother's words, still lives in a world of fantasy: she writes poetry herself, loves to draw, and for now happily tries her hand at all sorts of things. "She's very talented," Elizaveta says with a laugh. "Though every three months her dreams and wishes change."

For four-year-old Mark, this is the very age of discovery: when the family first left Ukraine he was just a tiny child, and now he is an inquisitive little boy who was quickly and effortlessly settled into a kindergarten in Belarus. And the youngest, nine-month-old Zakhar, was born here in Belarus. For the family, his arrival became yet another reason to build a future here.

Getting used to a new school was not easy for the girls at first, since they needed time to find their feet but they found their own, remarkably grown-up solution: they met difficulties with humour. "Everything smoothed over quickly," Elizaveta recounts. "And those with whom relations were strained at first are now very good friends."

Much in their new life pleasantly surprised Elizaveta — especially the way people here are cared for. "So much had to be done — tests, analyses, visits to various doctors, a whole panel. All of it surprised me so pleasantly," she recalls. "And at the maternity hospital, too, there were no problems at all. Everything was free thanks to the complementary protection status."

In those first weeks, as their savings melted away before their eyes and the expenses of a large family kept growing, Elizaveta noticed a leaflet about assistance for large families at the Department for Citizenship and Migration — and that is how she first learned about the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partner, the Refugee Counselling Service. "I'd never turned to organizations like this before; I didn't even understand what kind of questions you could come with," Elizaveta admits. "I arrived and said: I don't even know what to tell you. And they replied: we have a whole range of services — financial support, free legal and psychological assistance." Soon the family received financial help, which made it possible to get through the hardest first weeks of adjustment — to cover housing and everyday needs.

Since July 2025, the family has been living with complementary protection status — the very foundation on which plans can finally be built. This is precisely what international protection is about — giving a person seeking asylum something to hold on to.

Today the parents work, the children grow and mature before their eyes, and the dream they all share is a home of their own. "I'd love to find an inexpensive little house for our family, so there would be a more stable basis for staying here," Elizaveta shares. It is not merely a dream of walls and a permanent roof, but a wish not to worry about the children's future: "When we have our own little nest, my soul will be completely at peace, knowing that the children have somewhere to stay too.'"