“Not left behind anymore – The most vulnerable Refugees from Ukraine are supported”

A lifetime dedicated to helping people in Ukraine took a toll on her health, and she has been suffering from low mobility. When the war began, Halyna was in Ukraine. Many years ago, her daughter Svetlana moved to live in Bender in a small house with a cat and Halyna came to her daughter right after the war started in Ukraine. 

Shortly after her arrival in Moldova, while striving to stay active, she suffered a fall on the stairs, and since then has been unable to fully recover. She has had to stay in bed most of the time. Simple activities like going outside with tea and walking in the park became no longer possible for her.  Her daily life in Bender continues in the bed of a tiny room full of beautiful pictures of her past active life.  

“My job is to take care of my mother”, Halyna’s daughter Svetlana says pointing to the board attached to the wall with the care schedule. 

Svetlana transformed her home into a place of care, managing her daily care responsibilities with occasional employment opportunities. She works as cleaning staff at the local enterprise, and her day is busy. While Svetlana is outside, Halyna keeps a smartphone in her hands for urgent matters. 

On 12 July 2023, OHCHR Moldova interviewed Svetlana during its protection monitoring activities. Through the interview, OHCHR was able to assess the specific needs of her family and include Halyna in its referral program. In two weeks, Halyna received a wheelchair tailored to her needs, provided by an NGO supporting for people with low mobility. Svetlana contacted the NGO specialist, who provided the necessary care for her. The wheelchair unlocked many opportunities for Halyna, allowing her to move outside the tiny room and partially restoring her past active life, by visiting a local park located very close to their home and meet people, which also decreases the negative feelings that come with isolation. 

“My last eight months were in bed. I am always ready to go outside and breathe fresh air. I hope that humanitarian organizations will pay more attention to people with specific needs”, Halyna said. 

Despite the challenges and the low mobility, Halyna demonstrates a great resilience and her smile is always open, reminding everyone about the attention we all need to give each other. She reiterated the need to systematically identify individuals at risk through protection monitoring and ensuring accessible communication channels. 

UN Human Rights in Moldova works to promote the human rights of persons with disabilities, and advocates for the right to a dignified and independent life at all times, even during period of crises and conflict. 

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission for the implementation of this project in Moldova.