On Thursday, First Lady Diana Nausėdienė met in Alytus with members of the Ukrainian community living in the region.
The meeting was organised by the founders of the Ukrainian Centre, which opened its doors in Vilnius on the initiative of the First Ladies of Lithuania and Ukraine – the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Lithuania together with Vytautas Magnus University and the Ukrainian Embassy.
“We see the need to share and expand the unique practice of the Ukrainian Centre throughout Lithuania, which is why today we are visiting Alytus. We want the Ukrainian Centre’s services, mutual help and support to help not only the Ukrainian community living in the capital or in its vicinity, but also those who have settled in other parts of Lithuania,” said D. Nausėdienė.
In her interactions with Ukrainians, the First Lady was interested in their access to necessary information, social, cultural, educational and other services. She asked the opinion of the members of the community about the opportunities for them to enter the labour market and discussed other issues of interest to Ukrainians.
The First Lady also presented the community with Ukrainian language books purchased by the Ukrainian Centre. “These books are part of the “Books without Borders” initiative under the auspices of Mrs. Zelenka, which together aims to ensure that no Ukrainian child forgets his or her mother tongue, culture and love for his or her homeland. I hope they will also become a symbol of hope and faith for you,” said Nausėdienė.
The leaders of the Ukrainian Centre presented the activities and services of the institution, as well as the opportunities to join various initiatives and projects. A representative of the Embassy of Ukraine in Lithuania provided consultations on filling in the necessary documents and other services, and the Ukrainian community was also consulted by the staff of the Alytus District Municipality Administration.