Since February 2022, when the Russia’s war against Ukraine broke out, Moldova has been highly affected by severe migration crisis. More than 905,000 people have crossed the border from Ukraine to Moldova, seeking safety and refuge. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 117,000 Ukrainian refugees were still in Moldova at the end of August 2023. This crisis adds to the ongoing difficulties faced by Moldova, where almost one-quarter of the population lives below the national poverty line.
Difficulties faced by the Moldovan population have been exacerbated by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, the significant rise in inflation and a lack of reliable and quality services.
At last, Moldova’s development is currently hindered by the ongoing conflict over the Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, which has been frozen since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the persisting inequalities between the many diasporas living in the country.
The ‘PLACE’ Consortium, consisting of Acted, IMPACT Initiatives, People in Need, and the Norwegian Refugee Council, with the financial support of the European Union, aims to provide emergency aid in Moldova to the most vulnerable war-affected populations fleeing Ukraine and to vulnerable Moldovans, to guarantee inclusion and reduce social tensions.
Nastya , a supportive sister
Nastya is a 21-year-old woman. She was born in a small Moldovian village called Konstantinovka. She has two younger sisters who are 17 and 10 years old. As a teenager, she graduated from ninth grade and then went to a medical college but quit and moved to Poland for work. Due to her family circumstances, she came back to Moldova.
Nastya has many hobbies. She likes studying languages a lot: not only she speaks Russian, Romanian and Polish, understands Armenian, Ukrainian, Korean and English, but she also speaks Bulgarian and is a representative of the Bulgarian minority in Moldova.
She also likes taking care of animals and everything related to Korean culture – music, movies, actors, and singers.
Now, she works as an operator in a call centre, rents an apartment in Chisinau where she lives with her middle sister.
Nastya, with her Kpop collection
My sister is finishing her last year of high school. In six months, she will be an adult. Now, all financial expenses are my responsibility and my savings. My parents don't help much, and we could lose their help at any moment.
Reaching out for help
Nastya found out about the European Union-funded PLACE Consortium through her psychologist. She was told that the Consortium was helping vulnerable Moldovan families to pay the rent for a house for six months.
I am incredibly grateful for the help because, without it, I cannot imagine how I would have managed everything.
Soon, when her middle sister is old enough to work, Nastya wants to move from Moldova to the European Union and start living for herself.
Nastya (on the left) talks with Dmytro (Acted – on the right) in Chisinau
Acted, together with its partners, is fully committed to supporting families like Nastya’s to improve housing conditions and enable them to live in a place where they can feel more secure, with new job market opportunities. They can also improve access to medical, educational facilities and other services, and increase certainty in their lives.
