When the bomb fell like rain in early March, the new house Olga and her husband built for themselves and their two children - 15-year-old Daria and 7-year-old Sergey - was about to be completed. Their village is located in the Odessa area of Ukraine, and is very close to two military bases attacked by missile , but since their new house has no basement, they have to find a place to hide.
Olga is 42 years old and is a teacher and accountant. She explained, "We hid in the room inside and lay on the floor. I covered the children with mattresses and pillows. The situation was very nervous. later we could no longer bear it, so we decided to leave. "
Daria said, "We left the day after the bombing began. When I first heard the sound of the bombing, I was sleeping and thought someone was asking me to get up to go to school, but it was not. Mom woke me up and told me to pack up quickly... We brought a lot of food because we knew the journey might be long. I brought a toy, a little giraffe."
Olga, her sister, their children, and in-laws - a total of four adults and four children - squeezed into her car with warm clothes and some luggage and drove towards the border of Moldova. As thousands of people tried to escape on the road at the same time, the 60-kilometer journey took more than 24 hours. During the curfew, they parked their cars in the wilderness and couldn't sleep all night. Later they finally passed the border and drove towards the Moldova capital Chisinau .
Olga recalled: "When we first arrived here, we didn't know what to do, where to rest, or where to eat. It was the hardest time we had. We couldn't take a shower, didn't have food, and we were carrying the kids who were crying along the way."
Dariya said: "I never thought about what refugees were, because I never thought that such things would happen to us. really couldn't imagine that I would go through war and get stuck in this situation. "
Dariya was in the bedroom of her residence with her 42-year-old mother Olga and her 7-year-old brother Sergey. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
More than 460,000 Ukrainian refugees — mostly women, children and the elderly — have crossed the border into Moldova since the conflict broke out in late February. While many have continued to move to Romania and other EU countries, nearly 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, including Olga and her children, have chosen to stay in the smallest neighbor of Ukraine.
Although it is quite a challenge for this small country with a population of about 2.7 million and limited resources, Moldova and its people still open their doors to refugees. Ukrainian can live and work in this country and receive services such as medical and education, and about 95% of those arriving are received by Moldovan families.
Shortly after arriving in the capital of Moldova, Olga personally experienced the warm support of the locals.
Olga said: "The locals - even those passers-by who I don't know - have offered help. I am very grateful to them." A helpful Chisinau resident called and found a temporary residence for us to rest. She also added: "I must have slept for 24 hours in a row."
Although Olga's sister and in-laws continued to go to Polish to live with relatives, Olga wanted to be as close as possible to Odessa and her husband. Her husband — like most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 — had to stay in Ukraine.
Now Olga lives in a university dormitory in Chisinau with her children and 80 other Ukrainians. This dormitory is one of the 92 refugee accommodation centers established by the Moldovan government in various parts of the country.
7-year-old Sergei was painting at his desk in his apartment, where he also took online classes organized by his former Ukrainian school. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Their apartment is not big, but it is neat and bright, with polished parquet floor , and some oil paintings by Olga on the walls - this is her favorite leisure activity.There is a large double bed in the bedroom, and they all sleep on it. There is also a small desk in the bedroom where the children sit at the table to take online classes with their teachers and Ukrainian classmates - most of them have also fled Ukraine.
Sergei played with his sister and mother near the residence. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements visited the dormitory during his recent visit to Moldova, met the families living here, and expressed his gratitude to the refugees for their support in Moldova.
Clements said: "I was deeply moved by the generosity, solidarity and support of the people of Moldovan to the Ukrainian people." Kelly T. Clements (left), deputy high commissioner of the United Nations Refugee, met the Olga family at the residence converted from a university dormitory. © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell
Olga and other residents described their escape from Ukraine and spoke about their hopes for the future.
Daria added: "Even if I don't want to remember, what happened will definitely leave me bad memories. I will try to find something to distract myself. I want to say to children in other countries that we should cherish the time we have now, be grateful for the peace and peace in life, and cherish the joy of accompanying our family and friends. Don't bother with small problems in life - but try to cherish everything you have. "
Clements said: " as long as it is safe...all of them want to return to Ukraine as soon as possible. They left their husbands, brothers, uncles and sons, and the most hope is to return to peaceful Ukraine. "
Since the crisis broke out, the UNHCR has added nearly 100 staff to the team in Moldova to help refugees and support the work of government departments. United Nations Refugee Agency works with partners to provide material assistance, information and services, including legal and psychological support, transportation to other EU countries, child protection services and measures to address the risks of gender violence and trafficking.
One of the key responses to the UNHCR is the cash assistance program. Through this program, refugees can choose to complete their registration at one of the eight registration centers, or in remote areas, after which they can receive approximately 2,200 Moldovano Leu (about US$120) in cash assistance per month. More than 50,000 refugees in Moldova have received cash through bank cards, and thousands are still registering for cash assistance.
Olga explained: "Aid in cash is more convenient because I can spend money on things I really need. We were still wearing winter clothes when we first arrived... A month ago, it was still cold. Now we want to change into summer [clothing] because the day is already hot."
Olga hopes to find a part-time job - perhaps a tutor - to help support the family and save some money for the future return to Ukraine - which is what she hopes, but doesn't know when it will happen.
She said: "We've spent the spring here. I want to go back to Ukraine as soon as possible because there's a lot to do there. We need to work and study. [But] for the moment, I feel that being here with my kids makes me feel more at ease."
