programs and events

Ambassador Stewart Visits Baranovichi, Opens 12th American Corner

In her first official visit outside Minsk, Ambassador Stewart traveled to the city of Baranovichi on November 16th. Ambassador Stewart met with city officials, including the Mayor of Baranovichi, visited the Baranovichi Regional Museum, met with civil society representatives and toured the Svyato-Pokrovsky Cathedral. In addition to these activities, Ambassador Stewart had the pleasure of visiting the Central City Library, where she joined the Chairman of the City Council and the library director in opening the Twelfth American Corner in Belarus.

The Corner was opened with an initial donation of books, reference materials, CD-Roms, films, as well as technical equipment that will be used in outreach to American Corner patrons, including a TV/VCR combination, a DVD player, and a projector. The initial donation totals more than $11,000 and will be supplemented in the near future with additional materials, so that the total contribution to American Corner Baranovichi will be valued at $30,000. More than fifty representatives from the local cultural and educational community were present for the opening and participated in a lively question and answer exchange with the Ambassador. In her opening remarks, Ambassador Stewart named the American Corners Program as "a key Embassy program that creates real bonds of mutual understanding and communication between the citizens of our two nations."