Moldova
From banned pride marches to brutal attacks on members of the LGBTQ community, life in Moldova has not been easy for queer people, but things are changing. In this story, Aliona Ciurca reports on Genderdoc-M, the oldest civil society organization actively promoting the rights of the LGBTQ community in Moldova. In addition to legal consultations, GDM staff members offer psychological counseling and help with accessing health services, as well as organizing support groups for parents of LGBTQ people, trans people, or those living with HIV.
Poland
Over the past few years, refugees from Belarus and Ukraine have been increasingly migrating to Poland in search of a better life and a place to call home. Journalist Galina Abakunchyk writes about how Kupalinka, a theater and school, offers new opportunities to people of all ages. Founded in Warsaw by Belarusian political refugees, later joined by Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country, Kupalinka brings together children and adults, Belarusians and Ukrainians alike, who are adapting to forced emigration and starting new lives outside their homelands.
Armenia
Nearly the entire population fled Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s takeover of the almost entirely ethnic Armenian territory in a lightning military operation last September. Kathrin Yaromich reports on how a plea from two Armenians to collect and distribute blankets for those displaced eventually transformed into an IT training center for wounded soldiers, aiming to reintegrate them back into society.