MARINA FROM ODESA: SECURING A BETTER FUTURE FOR MY CHILDREN

Marina and her family are among the 3 4 million refugees who entered Romania following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, with an additional estimated 95 thousand to come Bucharest became a synonym for new beginnings to Marina and her whole family She is one of the lucky few who managed to reunite abroad with her husband, who was out of the country when the war broke out

Marina recalls it as if it was yesterday: her husband called and asked her to tape windows to prevent getting hurt by shrapnel in case of a bombing At first, she thought he must be joking but the streets of Odesa witnessed a massive exodus of locals, showing her that the war was on her doorstep After this shock, Marina returned home hoping to recover, but instead, she received another surprise A phone call from a relative announced the sudden death of her uncle, a soldier

That was what made the decision for Marina It was high time to put her family’s safety first Marina reached out to her relatives in Romania They offered help and a temporary safe haven was secured She took her two children, the necessary documents, and a minimum amount of clothes. Emotions were very intense and beyond description

“I closed the door,” Marina recalls, “fed the dog, fed the chickens. I left them some food, I imagined I would be back in two days I did not know where I was going and I had no clue what was I going to do I arrived in Romania with 23 euros to feed four people ”

Marina and her family managed to secure a flat through a generous Facebook offer by a Romanian family At that time she hoped this would be a temporary solution and she could soon return to Ukraine

Days went by, and the family watched the news, eagerly waiting for signs of successful peace talks with none in sight The reality was gloomy and a change of focus was needed Marina realized she needed to get busy to survive and accepted a volunteer opportunity at Margareta Romania Foundation, assisting as an interpreter to doctors, and then two months later landed a job with AIDRom as a translator Although far from fluent in Romanian, she did well in the interview and was also hired on the ACT Alliance project

“A colleague of mine would always encourage me: try one more time It was not perfect, but we understood,” and that was enough to keep Marina going Knowing that she helps other refugees feels very rewarding.

A sense of normalcy and regular daily routines are what keep the whole family going Her children now attend school and learn Romanian and Marina herself started taking English lessons Helping those who arrive now – a year after it all began – is harder, having waited a year for it to be over and still facing the status quo

"There are people who after 10 months have returned home because they can't cope anymore They miss their husbands and fathers very much ” This is something she understands very well, remembering how lucky she is to have her husband by her side When homesickness hits, helping others she redirects the attention away from herself, and feels useful Marina is still heartbroken since her brother´s family is in Ukraine and she does not have regular contact with them due to power cuts, although they do keep in touch every now and then

Her way out of depression and despair is definitely by looking ahead Marina hopes she can secure a better future for herself and her family abroad "I don't know how long it will take for Ukraine to get back on its feet once the war is over. I feel I can give the children a future here We'll do our best to stay so that they can keep being educated, learning English "

About AIDRom:

(Inter-Church AID Department Romania) started its activity in 1991 as a joint endeavour of the churches present in the country: the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Reformed Church, and the Lutheran Church, in cooperation with Unit IV (Sharing and Service) of the World Council of Churches In 1993 it received the juridical status of the Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania In 1994 two other members joined: the Evangelical Lutheran Synodal Presbyterian Church and the Armenian Orthodox Church AIDRom developed steadily and quickly became a national platform for ecumenical dialogue and collaboration of Christian Churches in Romania At the same time, AIDRom is working to respond to the needs addressed by society in the following fields: resuming ecumenical dialogue in a new setting, interethnic and social reconciliation, actions for combating discrimination, social work and Diakonia with specific target groups related to women issues, children at risk phenomenon, disabled, elderly, and generally marginalized people, refugees, increasing poverty, gender inequality, access to rights, labour rights, as well as the environmental issues and effects and victims of natural disasters AIDRom supports, coordinates, and facilitates long-term sustainable development activities and has an immediate reaction when a humanitarian crisis occurs

AIDRom is a member of the Act Alliance, along with over 145 faith-based organisations working in long-term development, advocacy, and humanitarian assistance, with an active presence in over 125 countries

AIDRom in Ukraine:

Since the beginning of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, AIDRom has helped by being involved in refugee management, providing a complex system of emergency assistance, both at border crossings, in accommodation centres, and in various locations AIDRom helps Ukrainian refugees at Romanian entry points by offering humanitarian assistance, transportation and accommodation, food, hygiene products, clothes, and aid tickets

In April 2022, AIDRom applied for the ACT -UKR221 Call and is considering a complex assistance system designed to facilitate the integration of more than 2,000 Ukrainian refugees into Romania The system would involve providing counselling and social and legal information, social assistance (social vouchers for food, hygiene, and drugs), medical consultations, subsidising costs for participation in the national education system, support in accessing the labour market, cultural integration, creating an inter-institutional network between authorities and NGOs for a period of 1 year Since June 2022, AIDRom has contributed through its projects to integrating refugees in Ukraine