March 15, 2022
News
It has been more than two weeks since a wave of Ukrainian refugees began arriving in the Republic of Moldova. Caritas Czech Republic has been helping refugees since the first day, providing them with basic needs, and will continue to do so.
Terrified by the sounds of sirens, frightened by the explosions and destruction caused by the bombings, people choose to leave their homes. In their search for a safer place, part of them arrive in Moldova.
They only have a few suitcases or bags of clothes with them. They are hopeless, without money and without relatives to stay with for a while.
Moldova has received and housed them, and at the moment, there are more than 100,000 Ukrainian citizens in placement centers across the country.
Bombs exploding in the backyard
Crossing the Moldova’s border, refugees are picked up by volunteers and hosted to the nearest placement centres. Those who cross the Palanca crossing point are accomodated in placement center from Popeasca, district of Stefan Voda.
Daria and Ecaterina are from Odessa. They left the town a few days before the fighting broke out. The women say they decided to leave with their grandparents and come to Moldova. Although the journey from Odessa to Moldova takes no more than three hours, this time the family journey took two days.
"First we stopped in Belgorod-Dnestrovsc. We stayed in this town because of the curfew. And only the next day we arrived in Moldova. In the village where our relatives live, a military unit was blown up. Nobody was hurt, but it is expected that fighting will start in Odessa soon," Daria recalls with horror.
Arriving at the Popeasca placement center, the family finally felt safe. ”It's quiet here”, people say.
"When you wake up at night from the sound of the sirens and somewhere you hear explosions, it's not very encouraging. When we arrived here, we just slept for three days during day and night," says Ecaterina.
Another refugee family from Ukraine with five adults and two children is from Nicolaev. Antonina tells us with tears in her eyes about the horrors of the war that pulled them from their homes.
"We left the country basically from the bomb shelter, because there was shooting in the city, houses were destroyed. Bombs were exploding practically in our backyard. We stayed in these conditions for 14 days. But we have children, one of them with disabilities. Eventually we decided to leave. The nearest boarder was with the Republic of Moldova," says the woman.
All the families coming from Ukraine tell the same horror stories. Here in Moldova, they get a long-awaited peace. Their children can finally sleep peacefully. Here they are not hungry and receive medical care when needed.
According to the authorities, the Popeasca placement center now houses 120 refugees. It can accommodate up to 200 people, but the centre needs to be equipped with facilities and appropriate items to provide refugees with decent living.
Caritas Czech Republic in Moldova is reacting quickly
Caritas Czech Republic in Moldova provided a helping hand to the Popeasca placement center and equipped the new home for refugees with 30 beds, mattresses, pillows, blankets, linen sets, 2 washing machines, 1 dryer, 1 refrigerator, 2 microwaves, 4 air conditioners, 1 vacuum cleaner, 1 stove, 1 electric stove, refrigerator, clothes dryer, kettle, water dispenser and extension cords.
Aid of this kind also reached the Criuleni placement center that has a capacity of 200 people. In addition, the centre in Calarașovca, in the Ocnița district, received a generator to supplement the electricity powered by the central network. This centre also received refrigerator, washing machine, microwave ovens and clothes dryer through Caritas Czech Republic in Moldova.
Caritas Czech Republic will continue to support Ukrainian people.
