This Sunday, 30 November, activists of Our House and supporters of this Belarusian organization—now operating in exile in Lithuania—unloaded yet another humanitarian truck, the twentieth so far. The shipment was sent by our long-term German partner, IGFM-Wittlich.

What does this look like?

This truck carries 90 cubic meters of boxes, bags, bicycles, and food.

What can we compare it to?

Interestingly, the approximate total internal volume of Christopher Columbus’s ship Santa María was about the same – 90-100 cubic meters. Fortunately, we do not have to live in such a space for months, surviving on fish and dried meat. We only need to lift the boxes, bring them into the warehouse, and place on the shelves the meat, fish, sugar, flour, grains, and other supplies provided by our partners.

Which records were broken?

This truck is an anniversary one – the 20th. Previous shipments weighed 18 tonnes or 15 tonnes; overall, since December 2020, Our House has received, unloaded, processed, and distributed at least 333 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

Among those who helped unload this truck were recently released Belarusian political prisoners – an important detail.

Which records were not broken?

The previous truck was unloaded in two and a half hours, a speed record for our organization when unloading without any machinery, in both open and closed spaces. We openly challenge any organization: if you can unload a full humanitarian truck in 2.5 hours – show us!

This time, the record remained unbroken due to bad weather – winter, snow, rain, and inconvenient clothing slowed the process. Still, the team showed excellent coordination and achieved a respectable unloading time for harsh conditions: from 13:00 to 16:30, just over three hours.

Why on a Sunday?

This is due to EU transport regulations: if the truck leaves on Friday and cannot drive more than nine hours in one stretch, it must then rest. As a result, it arrives on Sunday – which is convenient for us, because most volunteers are free and able to help.

What was delivered?

As in previous shipments, the cargo included:
– clothing
– footwear
– bedding
– kitchenware
– furniture
– toys
– school supplies
– household goods

Additionally, this shipment included cleaning products, hygiene items, and long-term food supplies – the kind Columbus would have appreciated. We are just as happy to receive them.

A reminder:

The cargo was collected by our long-standing German partners, IGFM-Wittlich.

Who can receive this aid?

If you are in need, come to us. We are not bureaucrats – we will assess your situation on the spot and help as much as we can. In return, we will ask for a little of your time: someone must help sort and organize these boxes so that others can receive assistance as well.

Additional details may be found in our article about the summer record-breaking truck – including how many refugees live in Lithuania, how many globally, which cities besides Vilnius receive deliveries, and what consequences you should keep in mind.

What consequences might there be – for you and for us?

In Belarus, the humanitarian work of Our House has been labeled “extremist.”
For unloading this and the previous 19 trucks, every volunteer faces up to seven years in prison under Belarusian law. Yet people continue this work despite the risks, because they understand how vital it is.

Furthermore:
– Our Telegram chat where aid is distributed has been designated “extremist material,” as have all Our House social media channels.
– Our director, Olga Karach, has been declared a terrorist by the regime, tried in a secret trial in absentia, and sentenced to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.

Your participation in our work will remain anonymous unless you request otherwise.

And finally, a spy-story joke: a Belarusian propaganda channel close to the security services, Zhyoltye Slivy, called Olga Karach “an agent of Polish intelligence” because of this work.

Videos of the “extremist” truck unloading:

https://youtu.be/oFxxhhVBddk?si=mNoFN4aoYD4u6U9q
https://youtube.com/shorts/4U3sDk49Xqs?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/Nr4YCYr_1Es?si=l4yIwsHU3s_6vgiz
https://youtube.com/shorts/ZUzGaGs5yZ0?si=Y5BNx3h8KEQglmG5
https://youtube.com/shorts/EqeqRqfB4Io?si=Ip_aCw1iONs5KyBJ
https://youtube.com/shorts/x1xyX6tchiM?si=pwWaJpsfPnk6MJwR
https://youtube.com/shorts/WHLwy6DgSqU?si=jp81roeIUXV5n9Ho