Support for Ukrainian Refugees: Volunteers Travel to Moldova to Help with Crisis

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldova finds itself at the epicenter of a refugee crisis.  The people of Moldova are accepting refugees into their homes and doing everything they can to support this desperate situation.

“Moldova has received more refugees per capita than any other country and many organizations are in need of support to manage all the people coming in. Volunteers are needed more than ever,” says David Santulli, the founder and president of United Planet, a global volunteering non-profit.

Currently, there are around 573,000 refugees in Moldova, which is 22% of the total population. In comparison, that percentage in Poland is 3.7% and in Germany, it’s 1.2%.

In response to the refugee crisis, United Planet created a volunteering program in Chișinău, Moldova, to help the Ukrainian refugees. Multiple incredible volunteers have already helped the refugees in the last few months.

One of these volunteers, Kendall Raymond, said: “My son and I volunteered in Moldova for one month and words cannot express how fulfilling that experience was. Despite being displaced from their homes for months, the refugees displayed hope for the future. Volunteering in Moldova has been the most rewarding volunteer experience that I’ve had and I hope more people will see the value in providing aid to the Ukrainians.”

United Planet volunteers help the refugee centers in Moldova in any way they can depending on the needs of the center, such as helping in the kitchen, making the beds, running errands, or teaching language courses.

Despite the help that is already on-site, there is still a lot of work to be done. Support is needed with relocation, administrative, and hands-on physical work. Healthcare volunteers and trauma psychologists are also needed.

Dmitri, United Planet’s Moldova country coordinator, expresses concern about the situation at the refugee centers. “Women and children make up around 90% of all Ukrainian refugees. In Moldova, around 40% of the refugees are children. Most of the people here are from affected areas and have no house to return to. We’re working with different organizations, but we need more volunteers to help with different activities.”

For more info, please check volunteer in Moldova with United Planet. If you cannot volunteer in Moldova yourself, consider donating to United Planet to help other prospective volunteers in their quest to provide aid to the Ukrainian refugees.