How Belarusian refugee women with cancer support each other in Poland.

Maria served three years in a Belarusian penal colony on politically motivated charges. After she moved to Poland in mid-2025, she discovered a lump in her breast and turned to Pink Scarves, a self-help group for Belarusian women in exile based in Warsaw. They in turn connected her with Antonina, a volunteer.

“I was very scared to go for an MRI. Whenever I imagined having to get into that tube, I started crying. I’m very grateful to Tonya for taking me there, waiting outside the office, and bringing me back home. Now I’m waiting for the biopsy results,” Maria says.

Stress and persecution have had a serious impact on the health of Belarusian women living under harsh conditions at home or trying to make new lives abroad. Pink Scarves is an association of Belarusian women who have suffered from politically motivated persecution, and works under the motto: “You can always share your pain with us.” 

Many of these women joined the mass exodus in the wake of the contentious 2020 election, when the authorities launched a severe crackdown on all forms of protest that continues to this day. Poland is the most common destination for exiled Belarusians: Between 2021 and 2025, nearly 11,000 Belarusians received refugee status or subsidiary protection in Poland. In just the first 18 months after the events of 2020, almost 30,000 Belarusians received shorter-term protection in Poland.

Founded less than a year ago, Pink Scarves has already reached out to dozens of women, creating a space where intimate topics – rarely brought into the public sphere – can be openly discussed. “Over the past year, we have increasingly heard about cancer cases among Belarusian women,” says Yuliya, one of the women who started the project and who helps manage the organization on a volunteer basis (all the women involved keep their identities secret to protect their families in Belarus).

A woman tries out a breast self-examination kit during a Pink Scarves meeting. Photo courtesy of Pink Scarves.

Last fall, Pink Scarves joined the multinational Pink October campaign, helping to raise awareness of breast cancer, the importance of self-care, and regular screenings, Yuliya adds. 

“As a grassroots initiative, we cannot provide medical care, but through social media we share information about self-examinations, organize support groups, and help overcome barriers – language, psychological, and those related to forced migration. Together, we encourage Belarusian women to face problems bravely and pay attention to their health, because early diagnosis saves lives. We also work closely with the medical community,” Yuliya adds.

Less Stress Means Better Outcomes

The initiative’s on-the-ground findings that the stress of exile can lead to serious health issues finds backing in the expert knowledge of Olga Nizhelskaya, a psycho-oncologist in Warsaw. Pink Scarves connects her with Belarusian women with cancer by arranging in-person meetings in Warsaw and virtual consultations for women in Belarus.

“Emigration is constant stress, and when you are also in another country, you need a community that, in your own language, can explain where to go, help communicate with doctors, and outline what steps to take,” Nizhelskaya says.

Pink Scarves was founded in May 2025, initially as a project of two Belarusian women living abroad, and later two more women joined the core team. Gradually, people from all walks of life started coming forward to volunteer. Some are skilled professionals, says Yuliya. “Volunteer lawyers advise Belarusian women on issues of asylum, alimony, and property rights. People themselves began to write to us on social media offering help.”  

The group cooperates with doctors, psychologists, and Belarusian diasporas in Germany and Cyprus. Thanks to money raised through a crowdfunding campaign and cooperation with diasporas and the volunteer network, 170 Belarusian women both inside and outside the country have been helped since last spring.

Pink Scarves, the Belarusian diaspora in Cyprus, and the Dapamoga organization teamed up to deliver aid to Belarusian exiles in Lithuania. Photo courtesy of Pink Scarves.

Pink Scarves typically makes contact with women via its Instagram and Telegram channels, using their wide reach to connect with Belarusian women who need help. This can take the form of financial assistance: the group has held three fundraisers for Belarusian women in need. In one instance, former political prisoner Asya Bulybenko needed help because she lacked funds to cover medical treatment in Lithuania when she fell ill with anorexia. Thanks to donations from the Belarusian diaspora, the Pink Scarves raised 12,000 euros for her in one day.

Their help extends beyond the medical sphere: Last October, Pink Scarves linked up with Dapamoga, an organization which aids Belarusians living in Lithuania, delivering winter clothes, hygiene products, and shoes to former political prisoners. 

A Helping Hand for the Distressed

Fear of cancer or other life-threatening disease afflicts many women living in exile, Yuliya says, noting that Pink Scarves knows of at least 130 Belarusian women in Warsaw who are undergoing cancer treatment. Faced with anecdotal evidence of rising cancer cases among Belarusians, the group reached out to doctors and specialists who work with these women.

During last year’s Pink October campaign, Nizhelskaya led a breast self-examination workshop and shared advice on how to tell loved ones about a cancer diagnosis and how to ask for help. At the same time, the Pink Scarves launched an information campaign about breast cancer. 

“I have worked in oncology all my life, first in Kyiv, now in Warsaw, where I created a community of cancer patients, doctors, and volunteers where we help each other and share contacts,” Nizhelskaya says. 

The support includes psychological counseling for patients and their families, as well as assistance with accompanying them to doctor’s appointments and chemotherapy. 

Dmitry, a breast surgeon from Belarus, moved to Warsaw five years ago. His cooperation with Pink Scarves fills a big knowledge gap for Belarusian women in Poland. Acting on a recommendation from a volunteer, Pink Scarves contacted him and arranged to refer to him women who asked for advice about surgery after learning they had breast cancer.  

Dmitry says the past year has seen rising numbers of Belarusian patients with malignant tumors.

“Usually, women over 35 are at risk. But more and more young women with various types of tumors are coming to me – mainly those who have been in prison. It’s terrible. I ask all my patients if they have someone who can go with them to the ultrasound or consultation so that they are not so scared,” he says.

A woman wrote to Pink Scarves that she suffered a miscarriage after spending 15 days in a cold, filthy prison cell in Belarus.

Breaking the Fear Barrier

One of the biggest challenges Pink Scarves faced was building trust among Belarusian women at home and abroad. After more than five years of suppression of all forms of dissent in Belarus, it is difficult to reach people who fear data leaks and pressure on their relatives. The Belarusian authorities have added the group’s social media accounts to the list of “extremist materials” as part of the wide-ranging crackdown on any organization that can be deemed critical of the regime. But, as Yuliya says, word of mouth still works to build trust among people. 

At least five large NGOs in Warsaw provide support to people with cancer, yet refugees may be reluctant to approach them. Magda, a Warsaw resident who wished that her full name not be used, has been volunteering with the Rak’n’Roll Foundation for six years. The foundation not only raises funds but also offers psychological, legal, and social support. Magda notes that the experience of refugee women with cancer is different:

“We have a well-established volunteer support system. If a patient needs accompaniment or, for example, childcare, we always find help. People from various backgrounds come to us, including foreigners. But in practice, refugees tend to seek support within their own communities. Their experience is completely different: they have lost their homes, and many face problems with documents and insurance. It’s important for them to have people nearby who are in the same situation as they are.”

Pink Scarves currently works with women in Warsaw and Vilnius, and plans to expand to cities, such as Wroclaw and Bialystok, with large Belarusian communities.

Antonina is also a survivor of persecution. She arrived in Poland in 2021. In Warsaw, she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor. Asked why she did not turn to Warsaw-based NGOs, Antonina says: “I want to express my feelings fully. And I feel that only Belarusian and Ukrainian women who, like me, have lost their homes can truly understand me.”  

“I can’t convey all my emotions in Polish, but I can among my compatriots. With them, I can cry it out. They are the only ones who understand me and my fears. For example, repressed Belarusian women know how much you don’t want to upset your parents who stayed in Belarus. I myself didn’t tell my family about the diagnosis until I went into remission – I didn’t want to worry them again. Life is hard enough for them there,” Antonina says.

Evgeniya Dolgaya is a Belarusian journalist specializing in social issues. She is the creator of Politvyazynka, a platform for the stories of female political prisoners in Belarus.