06 May Solidary for Ukraine in Romania
Every day, mothers and children, refugees from Ukraine come to Romania to flee the war. Since the beginning of the war, more than 770,000 people have entered Romania and more than 80,000 have chosen to stay here for a longer period. There are mothers and children and older people fleeing the war, they are all very tired because they have been on the road for several days and very traumatized.
Touched Romania has been involved in helping refugees since the beginning of the war and has helped more than 150 people find shelter in Bucharest. Many were in transit to other countries but there are others who wanted to stay in Romania for a long time to be closer to home, and they found shelter in the three buildings of Touched Romania; here we provided them with everything they needed, shelter, food, medical support , in total 30 people.
This is about life stories…
Meanwhile, three sisters decided to return home because they received sad news from home that their mother was seriously ill.
A mother tried to go to her friend who lives in the USA but so far she has not received a positive response. She cried when he arrived at Casa Agar and saw the large, clean room, the flowers and the welcome card because she did not expect such a warm welcome. Now she lives here with her three children, the youngest of whom is 2 months old and hopes to be able to return home as soon as possible, in order to continue her life with her husband and family. She wants to open a house for mothers and children in difficulty in her hometown, Odessa, as she found here in Bucharest.
Unfortunately, there are fears that human trafficking is intesifying. Traffickers who offer to transport women and children `”for free” also appeared at the border crossings. A man who was convicted in the past for human trafficking was arrested in Sighetul Marmatiei (northwestern border of Romania) while trying to take with him in the car two confused young women. Another man promised a group of three girls that he would take them to Italy for a better future, before his criminal intentions were revealed by the person in the refugee camp.
On 12 April, the UNHCR announced in a press release that it was “on alert, warning refugees of the dangers posed by predators and criminal networks that could try to exploit their vulnerability or lure them with promises of free transport, housing, employment or other forms of assistance”. Two months after the start of the conflict, fears of a possible boom in human trafficking along exile routes have alerted humanitarian NGOs and international institutions monitoring migration.
Recently, Touched Romania started working on a new project offering accommodation to Ukrainian refugees in apartments in Bucharest. Now we can help a larger number of refugees with shelter and social services to support them get through this difficult time.
The fight continues!