Day 8

Mihaela and the team visited the warehouse where donations are stored for distribution to Ukrainian refugees in the villages of Dranitsa and Mamaliga. There are several families who live in homes and many others live at the school and kindergarten. Mihaela distributed candy, took lots of photos and gave them a hug and a smile trying to show them some love. She met 5 elderly women who were living in a room at the kindergarten and they shared their sad stories of losing their home.

One of them showed us a gesture that a bomb destroyed her house and left a hole in the ground. Another woman, a single mom had a baby one month ago and she had with her another daughter, approximately 4 years old from another father. The daughter seemed very sad and traumatized, but smiled when she got some candy.

After that we headed on to Cernavtsi to grab some coffee and then went to Philadelphia Center to help make food bags for distribution to refugees. We also made welcome bags for the children’s arrival in the afternoon with a stuffed toy, some candy and a Samaritas stress ball. The children arrived at around 5:30PM in a big green bus. They looked tired and scared of what was ahead of them, but they were happy to sit at the table and eat a warm meal. People and Deeds organization checked everyone’s documents and reviewed with them the plan for the evening. One group was going to one location, Baptist Church Calausesti, near Suceava and the other group went to Kairos Mission Center, a school which is used a refugee welcome center. The children and their moms spent the night there and People and Deeds staff will take them to two locations, Suceava and Bistrita where they will be evaluated and placed in medical and social assistance care.

It was a rich day filled with great experiences, seeing the impact of our work closely.

The refugee crisis in Ukraine is far from over. There are many ways to help refugees in your neighborhood, from monetary support to volunteering your time. Support Ukrainian Refugees in Michigan.