MOBILITY AND PEOPLE

Europe Café hosted the premiere of the film “Oh, Sister!” in Chișinău – a documentary about Ukrainian women fighting for peace

On 24 February, the whole world marked a year of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s fullscale military invasion - Russian assault that has created a humanitarian catastrophe. Tens of millions of Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have been forced to leave their homes and find refuge outside their country. About 750,000 of Ukrainians, most of them women and children, crossed the border of the Republic of Moldova in search of a safe place, over 100,000 of them are currently staying in our country. The Republic of Moldova is the country with the highest number of Ukrainian refugees per capita.

The European Union and its Member States, under Team Europe Initiative, mobilised their resources to promptly respond to urgent needs of the Republic of Moldova and Ukrainian refugees. More than €59 million worth of humanitarian aid has been allocated by the European Union and its Member States for managing the refugee flow. The assistance included both financial support and basic goods for Ukrainian citizens who arrived in Moldova in search of safety.

The challenges posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have shown the importance of solidarity between states, as well as solidarity among people. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues. Thousands of people, hundreds of children were killed and many more tortured, harassed or forcibly displaced. People, both men and women, continue to face the destructive force of the war in Ukraine.

On 24 February, a year of war, Europe Café presented the stories of Ukrainian women who chose to stay in their country and fight for peace, justice and freedom in Ukraine. On this day there will be shown the premiere of the film “Oh, Sister!”. It is a documentary film about the stories of six women - lawyers, doctors, volunteers, conductors - who save lives, fight for peace and dignity in their country.

Justīne Elferte, the representative of Nobel Women’s Initiative and production coordinator “Oh, Sister!”, came to the film premiere in Chișinău. The film produced by the Nobel Women Initiative and United for Ukraine Association builds upon the journey of three female Nobel Peace Prize Laureates - Tawakkol Karman, Jody Williams from the USA and Leymah Gbowee from Liberia – to Krakow, Poland and Lviv, Ukraine in June 2022.