Joint World Food Programme and World Vision project in Moldova provides home and hope for Ukrainian refugees

“We understood that it was no longer safe to stay in our hometown when we heard the plates in the apartment falling and the sound of bombs bursting a few meters away from our house,” shares Yulia, a Ukrainian mother of three, who sought refuge from Odesa, Ukraine in neighboring Moldova.

Forced to start anew, Yulia was supported by a kind Moldovan host with housing and a safe place for her three children.

The World Food Programme-funded project provides emergency cash assistance to vulnerable Moldovan households hosting Ukrainian refugees like Yulia. It helps families cope with increased utility expenses, while simultaneously aiding Ukrainian refugees.

Yulia and her children now have a house and can regain the sense of safety that they lost nearly two years ago. “I miss home. I really want to go back, but we have nowhere to go,” she says.

“I’m also worried about my children since no school or kindergarten is open in my village. Here at least they have the possibility to go to school,” she adds.

Education is a basic human right, but still hundreds of thousands of children have a lack of access to education. According to the last Regional Refugee Response Plan for the Ukraine Situation, just 5% of more than 35,000 Ukrainian refugee children benefit from the national education system in Moldova.

Yulia has been caring for her children and attempting to live a regular life since she arrived. As almost two years have passed since the start of the war, their desire to have their own house in Moldova has grown stronger.

The children have adapted easily to the new environment, and they are open to experiences and learning. Through the WFP-funded project, the family has a safe place to live and grow.

Masha, the oldest sister, is rather shy and recalls the wave of extreme anxiety that ran through her entire body when her family left their hometown. Her gaze says more than a thousand words.

“I remember that I was extremely afraid the last days before we left our house. Hearing the bombs burst into the distance, I understood from the looks of my mother that the situation had worsened,” the girl shares.

Alexander, Yulia’s little six-year-old son, wants to learn the local Romanian language and to make more Moldovan friends. He has a wish for this winter.

“I want a book with Moldovan fairy tales and poems. I want to show it to my friends in kindergarten,” Alexander says.

“The children have adapted easily to the new environment, and they are open to experiences and learning. Through the WFP-funded project, the family has a safe place to live and grow,” shares Irina Bilic, World Vision’s team leader in Moldova.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, World Vision has supported more than 348,000 people with cash and vouchers, and 48% of the overall people reached are children.

Totally, more than 250.000 children have benefited from education programming within World Vision’s Ukraine Crisis Response.

Watch our Videos: Ukraine Crisis Response Channel

Story and photos by Dan Munteanu, Communications Officer