Integrated Assistance in Action: Local Leadership and WFP Support in Mihăileni

Though officially retired, Tamara continues to lead the Mihăileni Multifunctional Centre with tireless energy and deep compassion. Since 2015, she has managed this vital facility, which serves vulnerable families—including children and provides essential support to the elderly. The centre also operates a home-delivered hot meal service for immobile seniors. Located in the village of Mihăileni, home to around 4,000 residents and situated 180 km from the capital, the centre is a cornerstone of community care.

Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, the centre quickly adapted to meet a new challenge: supporting refugees fleeing conflict. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the centre swiftly reorganized its facilities to host refugees and provide hot meals — a vital lifeline by the World Food Programme (WFP).

“For many refugees, this centre has become a second home,” Tamara says. “Some have lost everything to destruction, while others can’t return because the infrastructure back home is no longer livable. What they need most is safety and stability.”

Since the earliest days of the conflict, WFP has played a critical role in supporting Moldova’s Refugee Accommodation Centres (RACs), ensuring the provision of hot meals three times a day. This support has addressed urgent food needs while offering consistency, dignity, and comfort amid the uncertainty of displacement.

Building on WFP’s operational support, Tamara’s leadership has been instrumental in the centre’s broader development. In addition to managing daily operations, she oversees procurement, supervises food preparation, and ensures that quality standards are consistently met.

Her dedication has helped attract additional external funding and implement more than 15 community development projects — including investments in energy efficiency that have significantly reduced operational costs. “Thanks to those savings, we can now help even more people,” Tamara says proudly.

Most of the centre’s refugee residents are over 60 and suffer from chronic health conditions, limiting their ability to achieve self-reliance. For them, sustained humanitarian support remains essential.

Since 2022, more than 2 million Ukrainians have crossed into Moldova — a country of just 2.4 million people — with over 130,000 still residing there today. Tamara recalls the early days of the influx: “People from the village came together. They brought whatever they could — food, clothes. It united us.”

While public acceptance of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova remains high, maintaining this solidarity depends on continued support. Thanks to WFP’s ongoing assistance, the Mihăileni Centre stands as a concrete example of the Refugee Response Plan in action — particularly its goal of strengthening social cohesion between refugee and host communities.

Thanks to WFP’s support, the centre continues to provide essential food assistance to refugees, while also serving local residents with a wide range of social services — including childcare, elderly care, and home-delivered meals for people with disabilities. “The centre is built to serve everyone,” Tamara explains. “While refugees receive hot meals, locals continue to access the services they’ve always relied on. We also organize joint activities to encourage interaction and foster a sense of shared community.”

Eugenia, one of the centre’s cooks, takes great pride in her work. “Cooking is my passion. I love seeing people enjoy what I make,” she says. In the early days of the war, the pressure was intense. “There were so many people — we cooked non-stop.”

WFP monitoring confirms the positive impact. Food consumption levels remain high across Refugee Accommodation Centres, with refugees regularly consuming cereals, vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy. 

For Tamara, this work is more than a job. “This is a mission I carry in my heart,” she says. With the support of the local community, Moldovan Government, and partners like WFP, the Mihăileni Centre has grown into more than just a shelter — it has become a space of dignity, resilience, and shared humanity, where integrated assistance and local leadership work hand in hand.