How UNFPA Safe Spaces are turning the pain of war into support for Ukrainian refugee women in Moldova

She left Odesa with her family and arrived in the Republic of Moldova at the beginning of 2022, carrying with her not only the fear and uncertainty of being a refugee but also the hope of finding her balance again. The first months were difficult: like many other refugee women, Ana was seeking safety, stability, and support for her child.

This is how she came to the Safe Space in Chișinău, initially as a beneficiary. She attended school readiness activities with her child in a place where she felt heard and understood. “The Safe Space is the place where, for the first time in a long while, I felt that I was not alone. Here, I found support, understanding, and people who help us regain our emotional balance”, Ana shares.

Over time, the Safe Space team noticed her commitment and the professional experience she had gained in Ukraine, where she had worked for two years as a journalist and editor for a teen magazine, and later as a psychologist. She was invited to take an active role in working with adolescent girls and women in vulnerable situations.

Today, Ana coordinates weekly groups for adolescent girls and women, carrying out a wide range of activities: parental support trainings, sessions on relationships and handling school crises, art therapy, and individual counseling sessions. “In Moldova, I am developing my professional skills and truly feel useful because I can make a real impact on the lives of women and adolescents. I want to help women feel stronger and more confident. I enjoy what I do so much that sometimes I don’t even keep track of my working hours, because I feel that my work matters and makes a difference for those who have gone through difficult experiences”, she shares.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, over one million people, mostly women and children, have crossed into Moldova. Over the past four years, through the UNFPA Safe Spaces, more than 150,000 women, girls, young people and older persons have received essential support, with tens of thousands participating in group activities that have enhanced psychosocial well-being and strengthened connections.

Natalia M., from Chișinău, regularly participates in sessions and brings her children to events organized at the space.
“Here, I have met women of different ages with diverse interests. True friendships have formed, and communication flows naturally between women from Moldova and Ukraine. We support each other, become more resilient, and gain the courage to rebuild our lives, step by step”, she says.

For Anna L., a refugee from Odesa, the Safe Space quickly became a place of support and belonging. She learned about it from other women and began attending various courses, including entrepreneurship and social media workshops. “At the Safe Space, I felt at home. I found women who support me, with whom I can communicate openly, and who give me valuable advice. The sessions led by Ana helped me better organize my time, manage my emotions, and look to the future with greater confidence”, Anna said.

At the Safe Space, women’s lives intersect, support each other, and transform. The story of Ana and other women who fled the war is proof that sometimes, from a place of vulnerability, a strength can emerge that helps others keep moving forward.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, UNFPA, with financial support from its partners, including the United Kingdom, has established a network of 22 Safe Spaces, both static and mobile. These spaces provide refugee women and girls, as well as host communities, with free, confidential, voluntary, and survivor-centered services, including individual psychosocial support and group activities designed to strengthen resilience, social cohesion, and inclusion.

Ana’s journey, and those of many other women who have passed through UNFPA’s Safe Spaces, demonstrates how – with the right support – vulnerability can be transformed into a strength that brings people together and inspires them to keep moving forward.