Since the first hours of the Russian aggression, approx. 457.129 refugees have crossed into Moldova, and approx. 86.400 Ukrainian citizens remained on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. From the onset of the crisis, Caritas Moldova has been providing critical, comprehensive humanitarian assistance, working to serve newly arriving. Caritas Moldova focused its integrated services on the extremely vulnerable individuals (EVIs - single mothers with children, sick and lonely elderly, people with disabilities, Roma people). 

Our mission carries out activities throughout the Republic of Moldova; the HQ is located in Chisinau, 30/1 Gheorghe Asachi Street, where ten staff manage the Emergency Response at the national level and provide daily humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people who request immediate help. 

At the beginning of the conflict, Caritas Moldova supported local communities streamlining the possibility of receiving large numbers of refugees. Caritas Moldova ensured the logistics and materials for electricity and heating for 48 tents for refugees at the Palanca border. An important ongoing activity is the delivery of hot meals in several placement centres for refugees (more than 56,496 hot meals to refugees in 6 centres).

Caritas Moldova worked on helping vulnerable Ukrainians meet their essential needs and offer dignified living conditions. Caritas Moldova opened immediately (February 27th) a refugee accommodation centre in Chisinau with a total capacity of 130 places. With the extraordinary support of the Catholic Diocese of Chisinau, Caritas Luxembourg, Luxembourg Development & Aid, Educational Fides Center, Casa Providentei Charity Foundation and Caritas Slovenia și Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Caritas Moldova managed to provide integrated services for more than 800 Ukrainian refugees. The team of this centre consist of 15 employees (programme managers, social workers, medical workers, educators, legal advisor, accountants, cooks, and cleaning staff) and 20 permanent volunteers. 

With the valuable support of Caritas Austria, we managed to open a second refugee centre with a capacity of 40 people in Ungheni (inside the St. Anne's Catholic Parish). The Caritas Moldova team in this refugee centre consists of seven engaged staff.

In both refugees centres managed by Caritas Moldova în Chișinău and Ungheni, we provide integrated services for 170 refugees daily: accommodation, three daily hot meals, hygiene products, medical care, psycho-emotional support, social support, integration services, access to information, educational services, law consultancy, educational services within Child-Friendly Corners and dedicated spaces for children. More than 800 beneficiaries received integrated services. 

As part of the Mental Health Ministry Project, Caritas Moldova mobilized to provide psychological and emotional support. We organized a volunteering group consisting of 130 volunteer psychologists with different areas of experience. The services we have provided to refugees since the beginning of the conflict are:

• Emotional aid in refugee centres.

• Individual psychological sessions for refugees.

• Leisure and cultural activities for children.

• Excursions for refugee families.

• Preparing an educational infrastructure for children who wants to continue their academic activities (also in connection with the Ukrainian teachers).

One thousand five hundred one beneficiaries got psycho-emotional support. On Easter, Caritas Moldova released a flash campaign for refugee children to provide Easter gifts. 50 Ukrainian children received sweets, games, books, and creative materials.  

As part of UNHCR's Cash Assistance Programme, Caritas Moldova has managed to open six local and regional cash centres. One hundred new staff members, including 7 Ukrainians, were hired. The monthly cash grant per person is 120$; as of the beginning of May, more than 40,500 individuals/15,000 households received cash assistance. 4.7 million USD has been distributed in partnership with UNHCR, CRS, and Diaconia. Additionally, cash assistance support has been provided for 1200 Moldovan hosting families (175 euros per month, as a one-time payment). Refugees who encounter problems and have to wait more than three weeks before they cash their money are given shopping vouchers for food and hygiene products. 

Caritas Moldova received in-kind donations from external partners: Caritas Trento, Caritas Lithuania, the Government of Romania, Morton and Partner from Switzerland, and private persons from Moldova, Romania, and Germany. Already 1224 beneficiaries have been provided with essential support: food, clothes, hygiene products, school supplies and toys. Refugees are provided with detailed information on social inclusion, hiring possibilities and health care. 

Challenges for staff and volunteers: bureaucracy in public institutions slow down the import of humanitarian aid, burnout of the team and volunteers, the decreasing enthusiasm of volunteers etc. Increased number of vulnerable Moldavians who are asking for social and financial support (also related to severe price increase) - this demands doubled efforts of the staff and volunteers. A challenge is to follow all organizational procedures imposed by our donors and, in parallel, respond adequately and in time to the urgent needs of vulnerable Ukrainians. Another major challenge was to find, in a short time, a large number of employees who would meet specific requirements and withstand the pressure of working with vulnerable refugees while respecting, at the same time, the CI safeguarding requirements. The lack of preparedness of volunteers to provide psycho-social first aid (PFA), especially to the children with special needs can be considered another challenge; so we immediately organized an off-line training about PFA, one supervision and four stress relief sessions for more than 30 volunteers. 

Testimonials: An elderly veteran in a wheelchair without a leg was housed in the Caritas/Fides Refugee Center. She lost her twin sons in the war after Kyiv was bombed, and she lost her apartment, even the car equipped for special needs. In addition to being prescribed complex medical treatment, she was depressed and in dire need of communication with people. The Caritas volunteers offered her psycho-emotional support daily for three weeks. The beneficiary is very grateful to the volunteers for their support. She highlighted that the placement centre has excellent conditions, delicious food, and the proper infrastructure for people with special needs.