In the rest camp “Neptun” in the Leova district, the joyful voices of children can be heard. The Romanian language teacher has classes with 27 children from Ukraine, who came to Moldova for 10 days for a summer camp. The Romanian lesson is going cheerfully. The teacher hands out secret notes to the children, which in addition to the new Romanian word the children have to learn in this class, also contain a piece of candy. That’s what class is like, the children say, enthusiastically unveiling the sweets, memorising the words in the language of the country where they have taken refuge from the war.
The classes are organized by the “Strength of Support” NGO Association from Leova, through the project “Assisting Moldovan NGOs in supporting Ukrainian refugees – Phase III,” implemented by the Alliance of NGOs Active in the Field of Social Protection of Children and Families (APSCF) with financial support from Help-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe.
Aurelia Nucă, president of the AO “The Strength of Support”, says the project also supports 23 more refugee children from Ukraine, who have settled in Leova since the beginning of the military actions in the neighbouring state. In addition to Romanian language lessons, they also benefit from tutoring and psychological recovery in the association’s sensory room.
The children are happy to come to the sensory room sessions. There the children, as well as mature refugees, forget their problems, their fears and become more open. “We have been in Moldova for a long time, but even now we flinch at any louder sound, even when a lorry passes,” say the children.
Association president Aurelia Nucă says the project supports both refugees from Ukraine, host families and vulnerable people in the community, such as families with disabled children, who also receive vouchers for food and hygiene products. This help is very important, says Aurelia Nucă. The beneficiaries in Leova really need this support because they came to Moldova with nothing. One of the beneficiaries of the project, who receives vouchers, took refuge from Ukraine in the village of Borogani, Leova. The woman, a pensioner, says she lived in a village on the border with Russia. When the shelling started, they hid in the basement of the house. They stayed there for half a year with their children. There were days when they couldn’t even eat. “When I thought the bombing had stopped, I would quickly go outside to fry some eggs and eat. But suddenly shells started falling. We left the food on the fire and couldn’t eat it the rest of the day,” says an emotional woman.
Here in Moldova she lives with a sister. The refugee has a grandson who came with her from Ukraine. The daughter stayed in Ukraine. She works in a military warehouse. Here she receives help from the Association and is happy to live in peace, with the thought that the war will soon be over and she will be able to see her daughter alive and well.
The help that comes from Help-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe is very important, says Aurelia Nucă. Children who attend the sensory room feel better. They sleep peacefully, they socialise… they smile. Children and adults who benefit from the language courses say it makes it easier for them to socialise with locals in Moldova. Barriers disappear and employment opportunities open up…
But children and adults are also waiting to return home to their towns and villages. To see their relatives and their country in peace!
From July to December 2023, the Alliance of NGOs Active in the Field of Child and Family Welfare (APSCF) is implementing the project “Assisting Moldovan NGOs in Supporting Ukrainian Refugees – Phase III,” with financial support from Help-Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe.