Moldova is now receiving tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. Most are children with mothers and many elderly, the men having stayed behind to fight. Moldova is a small, poor country that can ill-afford the demands being placed upon it by a crisis set to get worse.
Our partner in Moldova, Beginning of Life, have been engaged by the Department of Social Protection to work in two large refugee reception centres in Chisinau. Beginning of Life (BoL) are now providing specialist services for Ukrainian refugee children and their mothers and interventions for teenagers. BoL is running mobile teams in addition to working in the municipal refugee centres and are co-ordinating with other organisations and churches in partnership with Chisinau municipality to help provide much-needed accommodation for the thousands of families seeking refuge.
In addition, BoL is providing financial and practical assistance for small frontline organisations that are supporting refugees as they cross the Moldovan/Ukrainian border, and building a new team that will come alongside those refugees that need extra help and protection, and those that will never return home due to loss of family, home or business.
House of Opportunity is also supporting the refugee work of its partners elsewhere in Southeast Europe.