‘I didn’t know how to process seeing so many people in distress’
A Cardiff graduate working with refugees in Moldova fleeing Ukraine fighting describes the scenes she has witnessed as the Russian invasion nears its first anniversary
IGREW up in the south of Moldova, a small country bordering Ukraine and Romania, but always had an international outlook.
I studied English at university and wanted to use my language skills to start a career in PR and communications.
I was extremely lucky to win a place at Cardiff University for a Master’s degree in International Public Relations and Global Communications and spent two very happy years there.
I noticed immediately how charitable Welsh people are, and happy to give to support others in need.
I graduated in 2021 and came back home to Moldova that summer, excited to look for a job. I had no idea that just a few months later events in Ukraine would turn my life and career upside down.
Once the conflict escalated on February 24 last year it was clear that thousands of children and their families fleeing Ukraine would come into Moldova. Odesa, one of Ukraine’s main cities in the south of the country, is only an hour drive away from the border.
I knew I could not just sit at home and watch people suffering – I felt I had to do something to help. I think it is our duty as humans to help others in need.
I have many followers on Instagram so I decided to use it to fundraise, and I raised around US $7,000 in a couple of days. I started distributing supplies across my region in the south. Based on the needs of the people arriving from Ukraine in my region, I would use the donations to purchase and deliver essential items such as blankets, food, space heaters and even larger items like water boilers.
When Plan International started working in Moldova as part of its response to the humanitarian crisis, I was delighted to join the team and continue my work supporting children and families who have fled Ukraine.
In a way, I have always been an “informal humanitarian” because I have always been helping people in my region and fundraising, but now I have found my vocation – I realised my place is working for a charity – for the first time ever, I am happy with what I am doing.
So far, the humanitarian response has been really impressive – thorough, quick, and well-co-ordinated. Plan International works with Moldova for Peace, a grassroots organisation made up of volunteers from Moldova and Ukraine. Using funds from the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, the group runs a warehouse operation distributing essentials such as food, clothes and hygiene kits to refugee families.
I can’t pretend it hasn’t been tough emotionally. At the beginning, it was really hard: I was crying all the time, and not sleeping well.
I didn’t know how to process seeing so many children and people in distress.
Then I started talking to my colleagues, who have been in the humanitarian sector for many years, and they told me that it is important to take care of yourself. You cannot just let it slide because it will hit you at some point.
So I did seek psychological support and it was really helpful. It is very important to realise when it is time to seek help, and not just dismiss it. I now also realise how important this type of support is to the children who have experienced the first-hand trauma.
In Moldova, Plan International is working with partners to ensure children from Ukraine remain safe, can continue their education, and are getting the mental health and psychosocial support they need.
It is so important for children and families to have access to safe spaces and psychological first aid so they can start to process what they have gone through.
I have met a lot of refugees who said they were particularly grateful for the psychosocial support they were receiving.
That’s why I am so grateful for all the money raised in the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which has given funds to Plan International and 12 other charities working in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary and my own country for vital projects, enabling them to adapt quickly to support those most needing help in an ever-changing environment.
In Moldova it can be hard to raise funds, because our population is one of the poorest in Europe. Living in Wales, that was one of the biggest discoveries, how charity-oriented the public is, and how much was raised for the Ukraine response alone – more than £14.7m in under a year.
As a humanitarian worker on the ground, I would like to say thank you to everyone who donated to support people from Ukraine. For many people it might seem like a donation of £5 or £10 is small, but it really does make a difference.
I see the people we are helping – the mother with young children who has left behind a home, a job, possessions and family, to flee the conflict. I see how huge a difference it makes for people to receive our support. So, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Find out more about the impact of your donations at dec.org.uk/ ukraine