Millions of Ukrainians have fled the war and sought refuge in nations
to the west. One of those countries is tiny Moldova, the most impoverished
nation in Europe.
More than 300,000 refugees have arrived in this former Soviet republic,
which has a population of just 2.9 million people. Many refugees
by now moved on. But the strain remains special Correspondent villain
mark reports on a nation without many means, whose people are rising
to the moment.
For Ukrainian refugees, Elena Mustard making beds may be a first
step to rebuilding a life.
She's just started volunteering at Fidel is a refugee placement center
in Moldova, Ukraine, smallest neighbor, Everybody do something possible
to help in this situation.
So I try to help here. People from Ukraine.
Try to help people from feeders because they do very good job. Just
days ago, this center in the Moldovan capital K. Chanel, welcomed
her alongside other Ukrainian women suddenly forced from their former
lives of people. I see cry. It's very, very
Hard to see
many tears shed for Ukraine southern coastal region close to Moldova
and for 40 years you Elena's home.
Now it's this small room shared with Tanya, the mother of her ex
husband, who stayed in Ukraine and her five year old daughter, Sonia.
Helping Yelena. Settling is Elena. Ballot sell Moldovan tourism professor
turned mother hen for many here at this Catholic charity. She too,
is a volunteer feel everything. They feel everything it goes through
you.
You tried to help us much as you can. And at some point you feel
like
Okay, I do as much as I can, and it's still like it's not enough.
You know. One Ukrainian woman asked us to talk with her husband in
the heavily bombarded city of Mykolaiv.
Are you happy that your wife is here in Moldova?
Yeah, I'm very happy. So I made this move for myself. I can protect
my family. My wife, my Children. Are you grateful to countries like
Moldova taking so many people in and looking after them?
Yeah, very temple to Moldova. I'm very thankful to other countries
whose taken
Our people.
This complex houses around 100. Refugees honored guests as some Moldovans
call them. It's one of dozens across this tiny country of just under
three million people now filled with those fleeing war.
Transforming table tennis holes into temporary dormitories.
Classrooms into canteen kitchens, with more Ukrainians arriving each
day by the busload. What started as a flood of families is today
just a steady trickle of traffic, But authorities here in Moldova
have concerns with the city of Odessa.
Just half an hour down. This road comes under sustained attack, it
could lead to a fresh torrent of people
more than 330,000 have already entered Moldova.
Most move on elsewhere lining up for visas outside the capital channels,
Embassies
But around 100,000 enough to create the country's second largest
city have chosen to stay, and the crisis is now close to overwhelming.
Europe's most impoverished nations limited resources
involved
into that breach an army of volunteers, carpenters, credit managers,
urban planners, actresses finding ways to help
That was
Mariana Token is the Moldovan prime minister's education adviser
turned principal problem solver at this pop up call center, the government
Has learned in a very quick way, because there was no manual hidden
somewhere in the drawers to pull out and say, This is what you do,
if you know there was no such thing, while Moldova awaits more international
support
team connects Ukrainians with pharmacies, schools and citizens willing
to house them.
One of those calls help metallics forever. Her son, Daniel, and daughter
Mirror.
They fled a desk there and, after walking freezing miles to cross
the border ended up here in the warm home of the Moldovan marketing
executive, Alicia Bouzou
created such an atmosphere for us in the apartment in the home that
we simply trusted them, and that's it.
Everything is simply wonderful. Why did you decide you and your fiance
host people in your home? We decided to have somebody at our place
because we thought that it is. It is just a normal we can
Um um
We can
Sister and we want table.
We can, and we want
Start simple You can anyone? Yes.
What does it say? It's written there. I want back home in Ukraine,
and there is their flag and the nearby It's, uh
Can I hear your parents?
Ukraine Native land, she says. Field River forest, you and I belong
here.
The Moldovan generosity to guests extends from the capital in our
country Villages like this one, where a family of time acres is focused
on Ukrainian Children.
When I set up
Hey, I'm good and
ego. Ooh, is an overgrown kid who loves nothing more than creating
and playing games.
He may be small of stature, but he's big off heart. Exactly. Inside
his workshop, lasers and fingers craft free toys within courage messages
in this difficult time
broken
Can be destroyed the separated so you will see how we assemble them
back.
Well. Moldova waits for more international aid. Some foreign support
has been here all along. These are about to head out to a warehouse
we share with another organization. David Smith first came to Moldova
with the Peace Corps.
He stayed to open a bar, and more recently, he reopened the barbecue
restaurant closed by Covid as a refugee supply center.
Stopped by several fellow Americans. This is a country very small
country. It's doing absolutely it's best, but it's really hard hit.
The population here is not enough to support
This massive inflow and Moldova needs help. So we're all doing what
we can, but like
We're looking forward to the big help Come into. This week, the World
Food program will begin supplying Moldova's placement centers and
offering cash to Moldovan hosts.
Women and Children in stranger's houses welcomed for sure, but with
no idea when or if they can return to their own.