Belarusian Garden Where Memory Lives: We Talk about the Projects of the "Gift to Motherland" Series
The project "International Garden of Peace and Memory 'To the Defenders and Home Front Workers of the Fatherland from Grateful Descendants'" took part in the International Relay of Memory, dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow on June 22, 2026. The event is part of the mega-project "Gift to the Motherland," which unites over 130 projects from different countries around the world and is implemented on the initiative of the Chairperson of the Council on Historical Memory of the World Peoples Assembly, Professor Laila Akhmetova of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
— How can we preserve the memory of a person so that future generations can connect with it? The participants of the International Garden of Peace and Memory "To the Defenders and Home Front Workers of the Fatherland from Grateful Descendants" have found their own answer to this question. They are planting named trees in honor of war heroes, home front workers, underground resistance members, and people whose fates have become part of the shared history of our peoples, — say the organizers of the mega-project "Gift to the Motherland."
The project is being implemented in Belarus, and at its origins are members of the Council of the Berezovsky District Organization of the public association "Belarusian Union of Officers" — Yevgeny Skvortsov and Nikolai Chizh. Yevgeny Skvortsov is also a member of the Council on Historical Memory of the World Peoples Assembly. Thanks to their initiative, the idea of preserving memory through the creation of named gardens has grown into a large-scale international public project that unites representatives from different countries.
The story began with an appeal by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, who, while in Earth orbit, called for preserving the memory of the generation of Victors and for establishing the International Garden of Peace and Memory. These words resonated on Earth and became the beginning of a great undertaking.
In April 2024, the first 26 named apple trees of the variety "Glory to the Victors" were planted in Belarus — one for each member of the Bluden underground Komsomol organization. Each tree received the name of a specific person, and with it, their story.
Since then, the project has been steadily growing. Over three years, participants have planted 106 named apple trees and another 80 deciduous and coniferous trees. Among the most significant initiatives are the creation of the "Resurrection" Park for the 80th anniversary of the Victory, as well as the Alley of Women's Glory, dedicated to women who have brought honor to Belarus through their work, talent, and service to society.
A distinctive feature of the project is that memory is preserved not only in memorials and archives. The biographies of heroes, family memories, archival documents, and research findings are published on the "History Network" media platform, where they become accessible to researchers, educators, schoolchildren, and anyone interested in the history of their country and their family.
Over the course of its implementation, the project has brought together representatives of Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan, with participants including public figures, educators, schoolchildren, diplomats, representatives of international organizations, and relatives of the heroes in whose honor the trees have been planted.
— Every tree in the garden has its own name. Behind every name is a human destiny. This means that the International Garden of Peace and Memory is not just a memorial event. It is a living chronicle of gratitude to the generations of defenders and home front workers of the Fatherland, which continues to grow along with the young trees, — note the project's authors.
Additional information is available on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.