Distributing vital support in the depths of winter

At a community in centre in Ungheni, Olga is amongst dozens of people queuing up for much-needed parcels of supplies. She fled Mykolaiv in the south of Ukraine when the full-scale war broke out, travelling by bus with her 74-year-old mother and young son Anton. The three of them are now spending their third winter in Moldova and rely heavily on the support they receive from UNHCR and its local partners.

“Life here without help is really challenging,” says Olga as her family experiences their third winter far from home. “Unfortunately we’re not just dealing with rent payments, but also with high utility costs. We only heat our apartment for short periods of time, just enough to take off the chill. It’s on the ground floor, which makes it especially cold and damp and this is a real struggle for us.”

When the family first arrived in Moldova, they received cash assistance from UNHCR while they found their feet. “It was our means of survival, our only source of income, our only means of subsistence,” remembers Olga.

Since then, she’s graduated as a hairdresser and nail technician, hoping to start a career in beauty. Her son is enrolled at a local school and the whole family has settled in well. “We’re well integrated into life in Moldova and this city,” she says. “I’ve made many friends and acquaintances here.”

Olga fled Mykolaiv with her mother, now 74, and son Anton, now 6. Support when they first arrived in Moldova included UNHCR cash assistance. Olga was at the community centre to pick up winter relief kits, also a family hygiene kit and solar lamp. © UNHCR/Mark Macdonald

Moldova continues to offer sanctuary to over 100,000 refugees from neighbouring Ukraine as the full-scale invasion continues and it remains too dangerous for many to return home.

Yet winter itself remains a daunting threat, which is why Olga has come to the community centre in Ungheni. “This assistance we get from UNHCR is very important for us,” she says – leaving with warm bedding, a solar lamp and hygiene essentials, including soap, toothpaste, sanitary towels and washing detergent.

Also at the community centre is Oliana, who fled Ukraine with her two children and some friends.

“Winter is difficult, especially in Moldova, because gas is very expensive,” she says. “You need to use a stove and heat with firewood. You need to dress warmer. It’s colder for the children, of course.”

Oliana also goes home with a winter relief kit, hygiene products and a solar lamp, which “will help reduce our family’s expenses.” She and Olga are amongst 25 Ukrainian and 39 Moldovan families that are helped at the community centre that day – thanks to the kindness of UNHCR’s supporters and the lifesaving winter relief programmes they make possible.

As Olga gathers up her winter supplies and prepares to head out into the cold again, she’s keen to pass on a message to these supporters. “We sincerely thank you for the help you’ve provided – it means so much to us,” she says. “May God bless you with good health. We are truly grateful.”

As UNHCR faces growing funding pressures, it is the generosity of donors across the UK which is helping operations in countries such as Moldova continue to support refugees. Learn more and donate today by visiting our website here.