Siarhei, who spent two-and-a-half years in prison over a Facebook post supporting the 2020 anti-government protests, and Natalia, a singer who fled with her daughter after becoming a target of Belarusian security services, bought the property in February in Poland’s Podlasie region, near the Belarusian border. The pair now spend weekends rebuilding the site, called Mroya ("Dream" in Belarusian), with the help of volunteers attracted through social media, where they have amassed more than 50,000 followers. The project has also drawn support from Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who recently visited the fledgling community.