Door-to-door support, a lifeline to many

5 minutos
Scouts in Moldova collecting first need supplies.

Young, passionate, and giving, Anisia is a 24-year-old Scout in Moldova who plays a pivotal role in supporting the Ukrainian refugees who fled to her small village in Moldova since the start of the war in Ukraine. A medical school graduate, Anisia has previously helped families overcome the drastic challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic brought in 2020 and is now working closely with young people and families who escaped the war to find safety in her country, by visiting families, listening to their struggles and providing them with what they need.

As far back as I can remember, my parents always helped people around the village. Whether it was clothes donations or fixing a problem for someone in need, I witnessed this in my home growing up all the time.

My love of helping my community was strengthened by Scouting. Earlier last year, when war broke out in Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainians escaped and entered Moldova to find a safe place for their families. Many already had relatives in Moldova, and traveled long hours by bus to get here.

Initially, only women and children fled Ukraine and moved to Moldova and my village. Their situation was heartbreaking. They came with basic belongings and were vulnerable economically, which was very challenging to see. 

My whole life I read books about wars and stories from wars, but never in my 24 years did I imagine that war would be right next door. It’s sad and frightening to know that this war is so close.

I traveled with my parents to visit the new families in our village. We listened to their detailed stories, and current needs, in order to help in the most effective way. We walked door to door and spoke to everyone. It was very emotional to see people in their most vulnerable states. 

The first story I remember was this little boy who was 7-years-old, who fled with his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. He was asking his grandma to bake him his favourite cake but she couldn’t as they weren't able to afford ingredients like butter and sugar. After meeting them that day, my parents and I immediately headed to the shop and bought them the items they asked for. We also included sugar and butter in our package. The family was very appreciative, and this motivated me to continue meeting more refugees and bringing them whatever it was they needed. Making a difference was as simple as the ability to make a cake for a child. 

Moldova Scouts mobilise for an impactful response

Seeing that this method of specific support was extremely helpful to the refugees, all Scout groups in Moldova are still using this approach of visiting Ukrainians in their towns, making a list of their needs, and delivering the items to them. Everyone is happy with the results. We arrange and deliver packages of food, bedsheets, hygiene items, and anything the families ask for. We are granted funds through our partnership with UNICEF which is really helpful and has allowed us to give all this support.

At first, the main needs were food and cooking items; now, it is all about things to get through the winter. We’re delivering more packages of blankets, jackets, winter boots, and warm clothes. To give our families a better quality of these items, my mother and I prefer heading to the city. 

As the war progressed, more refugees arrived in Moldova, and we were adapting our Scouting activities to support more and more Ukrainian young people and their families. We organised Scout camps in the summer and opened them to Ukrainian children to give them a chance to make friends, play, learn and just have fun. I think the children enjoyed their time because there were many games and fun challenges. 

I led some workshops in the camps like craft-making and many Ukrainian children participated. It’s helpful that I speak Russian, so I’ve been translating and connecting better with Ukrainian families. 

Almost every week, we have programmes to involve Ukrainian children in educational activities and friendship-building. In December, we organised a beautiful festival of dancing and singing. Then, a small group of us drove from Moldova to Austria to receive the Peace Light from Scouts and take it back. 

This was a fun experience! It was the first time for Scouts in Moldova to join this yearly celebration of peace in Vienna. We brought our candles and lanterns back home and shared the Peace Light with Ukrainian families in our community as a symbol of hope and peace to come. 

Impact of humanitarian action on Anisia

Getting more involved in supporting Ukrainians has made me more passionate about my life and more grateful. I feel like I have become more expressive and loving towards my family. Interacting closely with young people from Ukraine showed me how our whole lives can change in one day.

The children understand their situation very well. When they play, they seem fine and just like any other child, but as soon as they are asked significant questions, they immediately reflect on the war and say things like “the only thing I want is for the war to end".

I definitely have more compassion now, and a different view of life and its value. 

 

About the Scouts’ Diary for UAct: Scouts in Humanitarian Response for Ukraine

The World Organization of the Scout Movement’s European and Eurasia regions are in partnership with UNICEF Europe and Central Asia to deliver relief aid and non-formal education to those affected by the war in Ukraine. This partnership covers Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Ukraine. The Scouts’ Diary is a series of essays and interviews capturing the experiences of those involved in the project.