Mothers, single parents, elderly people, and people with health challenges have been forced to leave their homes and support systems due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Many now face growing responsibilities and uncertainty.
Among them is Irina, a single mother living in southern Moldova, caring for three generations. What she had to leave behind was not only her home, but her whole life. Over time, the burden has become increasingly heavy.
Irina turned to the protection programme to access the support her family needed. The visits and assistance she received, she says, gave her a sense that :
Someone still cares.
In spring 2022, she was forced to depart from the Odessa region with her two sons, her parents, and the grandmother of her former husband.
Irina was hosted by a local family in a village in southern Moldova, and she still lives there to this day. Caring for two elderly people with health problems, as well as raising her young son, was not easy for her.
Life was good before everything happened. We ran a business. We were a complete family. My father was still alive, and my eldest son was with me.
Her father passed away two years ago due to health problems, and her eldest son left the village to work instead of going to school.
Support that said: you’re not alone
She has been through many difficult times, emotionally, physically, and financially. At a particularly time when she needed help, she found information about Acted and reached out for support. Irina, her mother, and the grandmother she cares for received financial support through the Cash for Protection project.
That was just when the electricity bill came — over 6,000 lei. We were collecting money from everywhere. It could not arrive in a better moment.
For medical assistance, she was referred to PIN and INTERSOS to whom she can express her family needs. They brought diapers for the bedridden mother, clothes for her son, and several hygiene kits.
To improve their living conditions, Irina’s family applied for support under the small repairs programme. However, during the assessment, it was determined that a property ownership document was required to proceed — a document the host family did not possess. The case was referred to NRC, which is now supporting the host family with the necessary legal procedures.
We truly appreciate the fact that you call and visit us. It helps emotionally. You don’t feel totally forgotten in this world.
| The ongoing war has left millions of displaced Ukrainians, like Irina, grappling with complex needs – housing, healthcare, financial stability, and emotional support. For single parents and caregivers of vulnerable individuals, these challenges are intensified by limited resources and social isolation. The assistance provided by Acted through the protection programme has allowed Irina to cover her basic needs. Continuous follow up enable the organisation to align to the challenges that all the families like Irina’s face, aiming to improve their living conditions. This support is provided by the PLACE II consortium, which brings together Acted, People in Need, INTERSOS and the Norwegian Refugee Council, working together to assist Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable communities in Moldova. |
