A Ray of Sunshine in the Midst of War

“We spent the night in a bomb shelter,” she recalls. “Then the children came to get us, grabbed our suitcases, and we left.”

At 72 years old, Olga fled Ukraine together with her husband, Semyon, leaving behind decades of work, memories, and a life they had built together. They found refuge in Rîbnița, on the left bank of the Nistru River, where relatives were able to offer them temporary support during an uncertain time.

“We arrived during a difficult time that we hadn’t expected at all,” Olga says quietly.

Before the war, Olga was the main accountant at a private company for over 20 years. She and Semyon also worked at the same factory earlier in their lives — a place where they first met. Today, like many older people forced to flee the war, Olga is no longer employed, but she remains determined to move forward.

“For me, the most important thing is health,” she says. “I decided to walk 8,000 steps every day — or at least every other day.”

Olga fled the war in Ukraine and found safety in Ribnita.

Finding accommodation proved difficult. Olga and Semyon had to move apartments twice, each move taking an emotional and financial cost.

“Our utility bills practically tripled,” she explains. “That was, of course, a lot of work for us.”

Stability finally came through rental assistance provided by IOM, with financial support from the European Union. The programme offers cash for rent to vulnerable families who have fled the war in Ukraine and are now residing on the left bank of the Nistru River, helping them secure safer and more dignified living conditions.

“Of course, it’s going to be very hard, and we’re very grateful,” Olga says. “It’s an old apartment, but it has good energy.”

Thanks to the programme, Olga and Semyon can focus less on survival and more on rebuilding their daily lives.

With the generous financial support of the European Union, IOM Moldova is providing rental assistance to 100 vulnerable families displaced by the full-scale war in Ukraine, helping them meet basic housing needs and regain a sense of stability.

Despite the hardship she has endured, Olga refuses to let war define her present. She keeps herself active by attending a sports club and a mosaic art group, where creativity has become both therapy and expression.

“I’m just happy that I made it with my own hands,” she smiles. “I worked on this picture for about a month and a half or two.”

When she first saw the design, the meaning was immediate.

“You know, when I saw it, I said, ‘War.’ And suddenly, a ray of sunshine in the midst of this war.”

Learning is another part of Olga’s resilience. She has started studying Romanian — a challenge she embraces with humour and determination.

“For example, Bună ziua — Hello, Bună dimineața — Good morning,” she says. “The grammar is complicated, and maybe it’s harder at my age, but it’s good brain training.”

She also dreams of returning to something she once loved: writing. Before the war, Olga kept a blog, and she hopes to start again when the time feels right.

Like many displaced Ukrainians, Olga follows the news closely. The hope of returning home remains strong.

“We really want to go home,” she says. “We’re hopeful. We hope that peace will prevail soon. That’s all we need. And we’ll come back.”

Until that day comes, support that restores dignity — a safe home, a sense of routine, the space to create and learn — makes all the difference.

For Olga, each day in Rîbnița is another step forward, guided by resilience, hope, and the quiet courage to keep going.