Help keep the Ukrainian refugee center safe.

Hello. This is Nuri Park from Peace Winds Korea.

Today, I would like to share news about the "Dvor" project, a support program for the Ukrainian refugee community currently being implemented in Moldova.

This project aims to encourage the participation of Ukrainian refugees in local communities, enhance their capacity for identifying and solving local issues, and it started on March 1st. Through this project, participants are expected to gain the ability to understand their neighborhoods and local residents, recognize local problems, devise and implement appropriate solutions, and gain more confidence in interacting with the local community.

According to the report prepared in early May, out of the 16 participating refugees, 5 of them conducted local research in their respective areas. Additionally, the participants planned to establish a Homeowners' Association and had the first educational session related to it, where they had discussions with experts. They also prepared other educational sessions on different topics and organized sessions to address difficulties encountered during field surveys.

The next report will include the results of the participants' research, the proposed community project ideas, the support provided for such processes, and capacity-building activities for the Homeowners' Association.

We kindly request your attention and interest in the Dvor project, which aims to assist the adaptation of Ukrainian refugees to local communities.

Best regards,
Nuri Park.

The photo shows a participant meeting held on March 38th.

Dear all,

This is Park Nuri from Peace Winds Korea and I would like to share some information about the Patria Lukoil Refugee center that our team visited in April with our valuable donors.

Currently, the center is home to 79 people, including 46 adults and 33 children/adolescents, most of them are from Odessa, the port city of the Black Sea. Approximately 80% of the adults work at gas stations, kindergartens, NGOs, etc, while 20 children attend a local kindergarten.

The building used to be a movie theater but had not been maintained for nine years, so repairs were needed for the electricity and water facilities. Meanwhile, a computer room has been set up inside the center with the support of another organization, although it is not currently being used much due to the cold weather. Additionally, volunteers from the International Organization for Migration visit every day to provide psychological counseling from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., which has been a great help to many of the refugees.

A center manager is in charge of almost all tasks including sending children to kindergartens and contacting the city hall when there is a power outage. She explained that the final goal of this center is to ensure that refugees can live at the same standard as ordinary Moldovans. She takes great pride in working at the center, and it is clear that helping refugees is more than just a job to her.

The manager has three concerns that need to be addressed. Firstly, there is a lack of supplies, and the center is will stop to be supported supplies at the end of April due to budget issues. Secondly, there is a cleaning issue, as the refugees have to do the cleaning themselves since the center lacks the budget to hire cleaning worker. However, most of them have a main job, so cleaning is not being done properly. Lastly, there is a safety issue, as the center has previously been targeted by people who harbor negative feelings towards Ukrainians. Due to budget problems, the center cannot afford a security guard, and there is no male manager after 4 p.m., which is concerning for the safety of refugees.

The refugees are eagerly waiting to return to Odessa, but their hometown has been destroyed by ongoing Russian attacks, making it difficult for them to return. Therefore, Peace Winds Korea decided to support this center until the war ends.

We kindly ask for your attention and support so that we can provide a better life for these refugees.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Park Nuri

Hello,

This is Nuri Park from Peace Winds Korea, and I would like to share some news with you. From April 1st to 3rd, we visited the Ukrainian Refugee Center located in Kishinev, Moldova.

The center used to be a movie theater but has been repurposed into a warehouse, restaurant, and living quarters for about 75-80 Ukrainians, mainly families. The facilities are old and sometimes leak, but the residents have decorated their rooms with plants and dolls.

They do not suffer from severe shortages of basic necessities such as food and supplies due to their relatively small number, but they have expressed a desire to stock up on as much as possible to prepare for the uncertainty of how long their situation will last.

Children are left at the refugee center when adults leave for work, and there are not many activities for them, nor are there any adults to take responsibility for their education. Many parents worry about their children's education, but fortunately, managers occasionally bring games to play with the children.

Ukrainian refugees face the challenge of integrating into Moldovan society, which could be difficult due to language and cultural differences. The need for Romanian language skills could pose a high barrier for refugees. Peace Winds Korea plans to support refugees in receiving education, finding jobs, and participating in social activities to help them integrate into Moldovan society.

The most difficult challenge for the refugee center at the moment is a lack of personnel. The workload of the employed personnel is high due to the insufficient number of personnel, and their relatively low wages make it difficult to hire social workers. There is also a shortage of funding to hire new personnel, so refugees are doing all the cleaning and security work themselves.

Despite the challenges, most refugees hope to return to Ukraine, although it seems unlikely that the war will end soon and their lives will return to normal. Nevertheless, they live each day with hope, building solidarity and encouraging each other, and preparing for the coming spring.

Thank you for reading.

Best regards,

Nuri Park.

This is Nuri Park from Peace Winds Korea.

I'd like to share a story in the Ukranian refugee center supported by Paece Winds with our invaluable donors.

 As the Ukrainian war has continued for more than a year, psychological therapy for Ukrainian people has become an important issue. According to one research company, 7% of Ukrainians experience mental stress and anxiety. In addition, at the end of last year, the Ukrainian First Lady announced the start of a "government program for mental health and psychological support," stating that Ukrainian national mental health management is urgently needed.

 In this situation, Peace Winds is dedicated to treating refugees and local people, partnering with R2P (Right to Protection), a Ukrainian NGO.

The R2P Mobile Team

The R2P mobile team consists of lawyers, psychotherapists, coordinators, and visits shelters and homes where domestic refugees are located. They conduct therapeutic conversations, counseling, and more. However, in Ukraine, it is difficult to encourage people to receive counseling, as they are often considered people who receive counseling as "weak people" Therefore, they organize gatherings of 10-20 people to share similar experiences and connect them to individual counseling. They also deliver support supplies to people “outside shelters” who have difficulty receiving timely assistance.

Refugees often struggle with different languages and cultures because they suddenly were displaced to different areas. Children may show problem behavior or increase sibling conflicts. Additionally, refugees who have left their families behind due to health problems in the war zone worry about them. Psychological therapy is not only necessary for refugees but also for local residents who live in refugee areas. Even though they did not experience the bombing directly, they often have lost loved ones such as family or relatives, making it difficult to accept the situation of living with refugees.

If the war continues, the psychological burden on refugees and local residents is expected to increase. Peace Winds are planning to provide continuous psychological therapy in cooperation with R2P in refugee areas.

Peace Winds will continue to work to help Ukrainian refugees return to normal life.

Thank you for your ongoing interest and support.

Best regards,

Nuri Park, Peace Winds Korea.

This is Nuri park from Peace Winds Korea.

I sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are doing well and staying safe.

I am writing thisr report in order to share a report from Patria Lukoil Shelter for Ukraine refugees in Moldova with our valuable donors.

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• Currently hosting 75 Refugees :
• 45 Adults
• 30 Children

70 % of the refugees that are below pesnion age found jobs and are working .

Jobs in Kindergarden, Gas station, Social Assistance, Drivers, Restaurants.

Some people had to go back to Ukraine, to attend their agrigulture land. Even I’m planning a trip to Ukraine on 23.03.2023 after work. to Kropivnytskii ( Kirovograd) . To this region many Ukrainians were relocated from the occupied zones. Its has been bombed only once since the beginning of the war, so its relatively safe.

Situation at the warehouse:

In the period of 13-17 March , 1350 of food and non food packages were distributed.

Since we changed distributing one package per week per family to a package once per two weeks, the presure on the wharehouse droped. We use to have 10 volunteers daily to work in the warehouse, now this number can varies , not all days are busy in the same way trough out the week . If some one turns in sick and doesn’t show up for a reason, I get implicated more .

The new and last program with PWJ Started. Now we are receiving more goods. So if before we were running out of good by the end of the week , now we are able to even accumulate. The only problem is man power to move every thing in to the warehouse, we always invited municipal services employees to help. But even they cannot support us at maximum each time. From 15-20 man show up only 7-9. Which causes the loading to longer and difficult.

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Despite the challenges they face, Ukrainian refugees are resilient and hopeful in the center. Let's continue to support them and pay attention to their future.

Best regards,

Nuri Park.

Links:

• PeaceWindsKorea website