The art center is opened by UNDP in cooperation with European Union, Ministry of Economy, Biaroza district authorities, Kleiniki village executive committee, Kleiniki children art school and Brest Region Correction and Rehabilitation Center.

Dima Panasyuk lives with his family in a remote village in Brest region. Since childhood, Dima is keen on drawing and creative works, but there are no opportunities to develop his talents in his native village. In 2017 Dima's mother found out that a new family art center was opened in a neighboring village with the EU support. In the center parents together with kids engage in non-traditional art therapy techniques - live watercolors, thread painting, designing family trees, making crafts from household waste. It was very important for the Panasyuk family that the center met the requirements of the barrier-free environment - special furniture and a mobile stair lift were purchased for its work. Thanks to the compact size of the lift, children with disabilities got a chance to participate in offsite events. Moreover, organizers provided transport so that Dima and his mother can get to Kleiniki from their village. Regular visits to the center, new friends made DIma’s life brighter and more interesting. In the last two years Dima became the winner of arts and crafts contests twice.

“Thanks to the art сenter, my son can now fulfill his dreams. My sense of frustration decreased,” says Dima’s mother Larisa Panasyuk.

More than 65 families took part in creative events of the art center. Nine of them bring up children with special needs in psychophysical development. Parents and children are engaged in unconventional art therapy techniques, participate in family celebrations, theme parties. The art center constantly welcomes new families.

“Participation in the work of the art center helps our children integrate into society, and all other participants learn how to communicate with their peers,” says Lyudmila Tereshchuk, Director of the Correction and Rehabilitation Center of Brest region.

In April 45 children with special needs, their classmates, family members and teachers planned to conduct an inclusive festival “Creativity without Borders”. Due to COVID-19 pandemic it had to be canceled. However, both the organizers and visitors believe that in the near future they will gather at their favorite art center. Dima Panasyuk is looking forward to the end of the pandemic to meet with friends and do what he is fond of.

The family art center was created within the “Kleiniki Saturdays” initiative as a part of Promoting Local Development in the Republic of Belarus Project. The project was funded by European Union and implemented by United Nations Development Program in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Belarus in 2014-2018.