🌞A ray of hope for refugee women
The war in Ukraine has disrupted the lives of millions of people, leaving behind pain, tears and indescribable losses. Many families have been forced to leave their homes, the life they knew and everything they held dear. Among them is Lia – a mother who, together with her two children, crossed the border into Moldova in search of refuge, peace and safety.
💨It was a cold evening when Lia👩🦰 arrived in Moldova. Not only a house was left behind, but an entire life built with her husband. The eldest daughter👩 stayed in Ukraine, a student👩🎓, at the insistence of her father, who believed that education should not be interrupted, even in troubled times. For Lia, the beginning was overwhelming. It was not only the fear of the unknown, but also the deep pain of separation from loved ones. The children looked into her eyes, searching for answers, stability, and hope. And she had to give them everything, even when her soul was torn apart.
📌Gradually, Lia joined other refugee mothers and together they began to rebuild their lives, step by step. They looked for housing, jobs, and emotional support. In the evening, when the children fell asleep, Lia allowed herself to cry. The longing for home, for the daughter she left behind, for the life she once had, overwhelmed her. But in her heart ❤️🩹she kept the hope alive that one day, the war would end and the family would be together again.
“This moving story was shared with me by Lia herself, during the information sessions organized since the first days of her stay in Moldova,” says Olga, the social worker from the Mobile Team 🚍.
🗣The last time we saw each other, she told me sadly”:
💬 “I hoped it would be better, but unfortunately it’s worse.”
🚌Lia returned to Ukraine for a short time, with a sincere desire to reunite her family. But instead of comfort, she found violence – emotional, economic and physical – from the man she had known all her life. Discovering such a cruel side of her husband was devastating. However, her maternal instinct was stronger than her fear. With great effort, she managed to free herself and return to Moldova, finding here a place where she could rebuild her life.
💔Today, Lia lives with the pain of separation from her eldest daughter and the fear that her ex-partner might try to turn everything against her. But she is not letting herself be defeated. She clings to every moment with her children, to every meeting during the information sessions, to the support of those who know her and understand her story.
“Together with UNFPA Moldova and the Artemida Public Association, we offer refugee women like Lia not only vital information, but also a safe space – a place where they can be listened to, understood and helped. These sessions become a real point of support for them. Here they find their voice, courage and hope that the future can be kinder.
Lia, like many other women, transforms pain into strength, fear into courage and uncertainty into determination. For her children, Moldova has become a corner of heaven – a place where they have received a new chance at safety and peace,” Olga tells us.
🗯Let us never stop giving these women the courage to move forward and a ray of light for each coming day.
🧡We are convinced that only together, through joint, consolidated efforts, can we face the challenges.
