The conflict in Ukraine began a year ago today. Since then, countless civilians have been killed. Millions of people have fled the violence, seeking refuge in neighboring Moldova, Poland, Romania, and other countries.
In their search for safety, approximately 775,000 refugees crossed the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. More than 100,000 have remained in Moldova, while most found their way to other places in Europe.
Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with 20% of the population living in poverty. When the conflict in Ukraine began, Action Against Hunger quickly mobilized to support refugees and vulnerable Moldovan families. Today, that work continues. Our teams are working with local partners to provide cash, hot meals, hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, and other essential supplies.
Below, find stories of refugees and Moldovans as they endure and support each other during this crisis.
Elena, a 75-year-old refugee from Cherkasy, central Ukraine, now lives in a community center in Moldova. She sleeps in a crowded room, filled with other families in need of shelter. Throughout the war, many women and their children have been forced to retreat to this community center.
On February 22, 2022, Elena was in Moldova for a business trip. Then, the fighting broke out, and Ukraine was at war. Elena was unable to return home. She lost her business. Her family is gone now, too; before the conflict, her husband had died of COVID-19 and her daughter is presumed to have been killed last April during a bombing in her neighborhood.
After all of this trauma, Elena herself has become almost blind. She is severely visually impaired and barely glimpses anything. “I’m getting used to not seeing,” she says.
The same month she lost her daughter, a baby was born to a Ukrainian mother at the community center where Elena lives. Now, every week, Elena goes to the Dignity Center, a project run by Refugee Support Europe and supported by Action Against Hunger and our partner, Moldova for Peace, to get free food and bring it to the mother and 10-month-old child. She also brings sweets for the refugee children who live in the community center.
Despite the circumstances, Elena has managed to find joy, laughter, and hope.
“I hope that soon all the skies of the world will have peace.” — Elena
Ruslana, a Ukrainian refugee from Odessa, came to Moldova with her son, Vova, and her sister last March. Her sister returned home, but is now considering fleeing Ukraine again. She receives support from the Dignity Center where refugees can get basic supplies.
To get to Moldova, Ruslana and her family waited in a line of more than 1,500 people to cross the border to safety. As the war rages on, Ruslana wishes for peace. She is deeply concerned about all the people who remain in Ukraine, including her older son who stayed behind and just received an invitation to join the Ukrainian army.
Aurelia is a Moldovan woman who has lived for the past six years with her husband in the border town of Palanca. She works at a center that, before the conflict, supported vulnerable Moldovan children, providing them with hot meals and a space to do their homework.
When the war in Ukraine began, the center became a shelter and a place to get hot meals for the roughly 2,000 refugees who crossed the border through Palanca every day. Aurelia did not hesitate for a single moment to support all the people in need. She felt their pain and worked tirelessly to cook hot meals for refugees, particularly women, children, and the elderly, each day.
During the peak of influx of refugees crossing through Palanca, Aurelia barely slept three hours a night. With her colleagues, she even crossed the border into Ukraine to provide food to thousands of families waiting for days in line to cross into Moldova.
“They were very confused, they didn’t know anything about their future,” she recalls. “They needed food, water, and shelter. It was very hard, and many were freezing.”
Action Against Hunger and our local partner, Communitas, began supporting this community kitchen and shelter early in the crisis and continue to do so today to help the 30-40 Ukrainian refugees who arrive in Palanca daily. If the hostilities increase and the number of refugees spike again, Aurelia is ready.
Aurelia says she wants more contact between people, peace between countries, and more conflicts resolved with words, not violence.
“In Moldova, we are lucky that our sons and daughters are not experiencing war,” she says. “I can’t even come close to understanding or feeling what it’s like for mothers whose sons and husbands are still in Ukraine, in the war.”
Single mother Maria, 25, lives with her son Macsim and daughter Anisea in a very small house in Volintiri, Moldova. Five-year-old Macsim has cerebral palsy, and Maria stays home with him each day, helping him eat the meals she blends up for him, go to the bathroom, and move around. His around-the-clock care means that she cannot leave home to find a job.
The conflict in Ukraine has made Maria’s family situation more complicated and less stable. Moldova, already one of the poorest countries in Europe, depended heavily on food and fuel imports from Ukraine and Russia—resources that have gotten more scarce and more expensive since the war began. The cold winter temperatures are particularly hard on Maria and her children. Maria has to heat her home with wood, since gas has gotten too expensive. They also do not have a modern bathroom, meaning they go to the bathroom outside and the children are bathed in a basin. Macsim and Anisea have gotten sick more often.
To help her care for her children and afford Macsim’s medicines, the Moldovan government provides Maria with a monthly stipend of 240 Euros. Maria tries to save a little each month to prepare for an emergency or a sudden downturn in her son’s condition. Action Against Hunger and our partner, the Stefan Voda City Council, are also helping by providing her with hygiene supplies, food, and mental health support.
Tatiana, a refugee in her 70s, lived with her daughter and four-year-old granddaughter in Irpin, Ukraine, when the war began. Irpin became a battlefield during the Kiev offensive, forcing Tatiana and her family to seek refuge in Moldova.
“It was terrifying. We listened to the attacks while Kiev was being heavily bombed,” says Tatiana. “We lived in the basement for four days. We had no choice but to flee.”
Although her son had to stay behind, Tatiana has not considered returning to Ukraine, especially in the face of increased hostilities. Living in a small apartment in the city of Balti, at first, they didn’t have any support, but after a couple of weeks, they heard from other refugees that humanitarian organizations were offering help. Tatiana found out about a distribution center supported by Action Against Hunger in Balti and didn’t hesitate to start volunteering.
There, Tatiana distributes meals and hygiene items to fellow refugees. “It’s natural for me to help other people,” she says.
Tatiana and her family live in the same building as the distribution center, and she can see and feel the impact her work has on the lives of refugees. Many people come regularly, which, for Tatiana, means they are happy with the help they get and the items they are provided. She has found Moldova to be a very welcoming, inclusive, and warm country.
“With all my heart, I wish for the war to end and for there to be peace in the world.” — Tatiana
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 56 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
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