The story of three refugees from Ukraine who settled in the Republic of Moldova
Three years. A war that seemed to be ending quickly threw them into the unknown, forcing them to leave behind their homes, families, and dreams. We're talking about refugees for whom the Republic of Moldova has become a second home. Among them are three Ukrainian women who enjoyed support and managed to start over. Now they assist their compatriots. They work at the EDUTech laboratory at the "Petru Movilă" Theoretical Lyceum, where they help refugee children learn new things.
Three years ago, Natalia Solovei was living a peaceful life in the city of Odessa. She had worked for ten years in a travel agency, and after a period of maternity leave, she chose to pursue studies in pedagogy. Like many other Ukrainians, she was forced to flee with her two children, one of whom was only seven months old, and they found refuge in Chisinau. Natalia works as a facilitator in the institution's EDUTech laboratory.
"It was a very complicated day. We were walking to the border. It was terrible, sleet, cold. We were crossing the border through the Starokazacie point. My mother was with us. I thank the volunteers who met us there, brought us to Chisinau, to their home. We hope the war will end, so that we can return home. We have already settled here, but if we go home, we will always come back", said Natalia Solovei.
Far from the war that devastated the country, Alisa Nechytailo found peace in the heart of Moldova. She arrived in Chisinau with her husband and daughter and found shelter with relatives on the very first day of the conflict. Later, her husband returned to Ukraine but he died on the battlefield in the Zaporozhye region. Through tears, Alisa confesses that since then her life has been divided into two: "before" and "after" the war.
"Before coming here, we lived very well in Odessa. We had everything: our own business, a good job. Everything was fine. Then when we left for Moldova, we started everything from scratch. From scratch, you start socializing, you find friends, you make new acquaintances", said Alisa Nechytailo.
Now the woman is an educational coordinator in the EDUTech laboratories, opened by the "People Need" Organization, where various activities are carried out for Ukrainian and Moldovan children.
"This project is intended for children from Ukraine, who until now have been taking online lessons to get Ukrainian studies. These are oriented so that children do not stay at home, in rented apartments. It is complicated. People who have been here for a longer time still have to work and have personal time", added Alisa Nechytailo.
Her colleague Olga Kostiakova also fled the war. Originally from the city of Nikolaev, the woman says with emotion that she has only one desire to return to her homeland soon.
“There were difficult times. My husband has relatives here, but I felt isolated, but little by little I adapted. Later, I realized that I and the children also have to socialize. I live for today. Now we are integrating into society. For now, we are staying here, but I still don’t know what awaits us”, said Olga Kostiakova, teacher of Art.
Data published by the UN Refugee Agency shows that almost 128 thousand Ukrainian refugees are registered in the Republic of Moldova, and in all over 1.2 million people have transited the country since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.
