Humanitarian--Update on Ukraine Refugees in Bulgaria--CARITAS Organization

 

Mothers can do anything

(a few months in the life of a Ukrainian mother with many children in Bulgaria)

 

Tell us how you came to Bulgaria.

We did not plan to come to Bulgaria. You could even say that it was by accident. We already thought of where to go. We decided that because the language in Bulgaria was close to Ukrainian, it would be easier for the child's education to adapt. On the way we met a guy who brought us by car to Ruse and then we came to Sofia. And so we stayed here.

What made you want to leave?

The war, the explosions, it was scary. It's very important for a child to study, to continue his life normally.

How did you find out about Caritas?

I called some friends, asked where we could get help and they directed me to Caritas Sofia.

How do you feel in Bulgaria?

Good. But I worry about my relatives in Ukraine. If I wasn't so worried about them, it would be fine.

What challenges did you face at the beginning?

Housing first, work, medical care. My eldest daughter needed a dentist, I had to pay 320 euros. With the school we solved the issue very quickly. On March 12 we came, on March 16 we already met the teachers and the coach at the sports school. Our acquaintance whom we met on the way helped us a lot. He was with us everywhere. He knew Bulgarian, Russian and English very well.

How did you find a job?

I applied at Lidl. They arranged a number of issues very quickly - medical care, Bulgarian courses, employment contract, everything. But the job itself was difficult. My hands hurt a lot at the beginning, especially at night. But not anymore, I'm used to it now. There are electric trolleys and I learned to work with them. There was training and I managed to pass the exam. Now I work mainly in the bakery.

All the children are now at school in a sports school, only the youngest doesn't go to kindergarten yet. We are sorting that out now.

How has Caritas helped you?

Caritas Sofia helped me a lot. I was very worried about how I was going to manage to pay both rent and bills, especially in winter, so now we save a lot of everything we get from Caritas, to manage after the three-month program. My oldest daughter is 19 years old and helps me a lot. If it wasn't for her, it would be very difficult for me. It is impossible for a single mother. My salary is 1500 BGN, so the help from Caritas is very useful for us.

What would you wish for?

I only wish for one thing - to have peace. No war. When the information about the terrible violence in Bucha started coming in, I packed my bags and we left. I didn't want to risk my children's lives. I didn't know how things would turn out next. Whether the troops would stop or continue to take over territories. In the first days there were explosions in the village next to us - Byala Cherkva, 1-2 kilometers from our home. It was very scary. Every time I had to go down into the shelter with my children, I faced the uncertainty of whether a bomb fell on us they would find us in those shelters or not.

How did you manage to organize the departure?

My husband is in government service. The state arranged bus transport to a border town and from there everyone got as far as they could. We travelled through Romania by Bulgarian bus and got to the border in Ruse. From there we were picked up by car - the Bulgarian who helped us. It was a great happiness for us.

After the tiresome journey from Ukraine via Poland and Hungary, Alexey finds a safe space in Bulgaria with his 5 children – four boys and a girl. He is a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, 37 years old, married.

Two weeks after the start of the war in Ukraine, the family decided to leave. They took a bus to another city in Ukraine, then through Poland, they reached Hungary, where the family remained for a month. During the stay in Hungary, the kids managed to calm down from the stress from the sudden evacuation of their home and the change of the environment. Meanwhile, the priest communicated with the Bulgarian Orthodox church inquiring about accommodation and a potential job. He received a positive answer and the family commenced their journey to Bulgaria. They have been in the summer house of the St. Mina monastery for over a month now.  Alexey is still looking for a more stable job and hopes that soon the kids will be enrolled in school and in kindergarten.

The premises, where they live at the moment, are not suitable for the winter. Thus, at the end of the summer, they will have to look for a new place to live. At this point, he found out about Caritas Sofia’s housing programme. He found out about Caritas Sofia from the groups in the social media. After visiting the St. Anna Refugee and Migrant Centre, he is thankful for the care and the support he receives. He shares his happiness for the help his family receives, and for the help that is available for other refugees from Ukraine.

To benefit from housing support at the end of the summer when the kids start school and kindergarten and the summer house at the monastery is no longer suitable for the family he sees as a great opportunity. He also realized that he can receive assistance with the process of enrolling his kids to school and kindergarten. There still a long way ahead in the journey of settling in, but the family feels supported by the Caritas Sofia team in accessing basic services and help.

As a servant of the Orthodox church, Alexey wishes for a unity among the people and he hopes soon to be able to return with the whole family to their own home in Ukraine.

Voucher coverage in June 2022

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has helped with donations for Caritas to destribute food vouchers, medical vouchers, housing and utilities. Caritas has many other donors who are part of this refugee project in Bulgaria. 

Humanitarian---Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Europe North Area

One of our responsibilities is overseeing the humanitarian projects in Cape Verde, which we inherited last April when the church Area of Europe split the responsibilities into three Areas; Europe East, Europe Central, and Europe North. 

Here is one of the projects that was implemented by our couples in Cape Verde.

An ongoing water project that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been supporting. 

"The whole experience was a gift for us because we got to meet people (mostly women) who have spent hours every day carrying water on their heads for their families. They have done this their whole lives but now, thanks to the Church, they have clean fresh water at their own homes." 

Water is essential for life, and is a key focus area for the Church’s humanitarian efforts. We discussed expanding this project on Fogo to 80 more families. We are also working with the Camara Municipal in Paul (Santo Antão) and the Camara Municipal in Mindelo (São Vicente) to do provide needy families with water." Elder and Sister Haynie.

Humanitarian--- Riga, Latvia Children's University Hospital

The Children's University Hospital is the only children's hospital in Latvia. The hospital is 123 years old this year and plans are to change 122 to 123. 

James Armitstead, a wealthy industrialist and trader, willed 200.000 gold rubles to benefit Riga City's society. Riga City decided to establish a children's hospital. In October of 1899 the hospital was open to the general public.
 

In 2021 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 5 baby mattresses. 

These mattresses help to hold an infant comfortably while receiving an ultrasound. 

The church also donated some breast pumps and humidifiers. 

In 2022, the church donated a fetal monitor. 

Other clinics for women in Riga have monitors, but this one is the first one for the hospital.

The hospital has around 286 beds for children. 

They have outpatient, surgeries, emergency rooms, clinics for psychology. The have special facilities for families.
Just recently they decided to turn one of their buildings on the complex into a kitchen. 

With industrial cooking and washing facilities the hospital is able to provide healthy meals to the children during their stay. 

The Children's University Hospital is also a teaching hospital.

They have over 1,000 professional staff members.

The hospital is in a state of growth with new wings and updated facilities being built. 

They hope to have a complete renovation of the complex by 2024. 

Humanitarian--Ukraine--Ronald McDonald House Charities TWO NEW ROOMS!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities in funding to construct two new rooms in children's hospitals in two Ukrainian cities, one in Dnipro and one in Rivne. These rooms will target families traveling from distant locations for medical care​. Each room is estimated to serve 11,000 individuals per year​. 

RMHC has partnered with the furniture store JYSK, who will provided the furnishings for these rooms, and they have secured funding for ongoing operational costs​.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is an international NGO whose mission is to provide support to families of sick children who are receiving medical care away from home​. RMHC operates in 65 countries around the world and, since 1974, has served millions of people globally. RMHC currently operates in Ukraine but with 28 hospitals on their waiting list, there is a shortage of family housing in the country.

Humanitarian---Red Cross of Lithuania

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated medicine, including prescription medicine, to the Red Cross in Lithuania. The Red Cross loaded a truck and delivered 23 pallets of medicine to Ukraine. The medicine arrived at the Red Cross in 3 locations; Sumy, Liman, and Lviv. 

The goal of the Red Cross is to have a constant supply for medical supplies and medicines for Ukraine.

Missionaries in Vilnius, Lithuania

Castle: The complex consisted of three castles: the Upper, the Lower, and the Crooked. The Crooked Castle was burned down by the Teutonic Knights in 1390 and was never rebuilt. The Vilnius Castles were attacked several times by the Teutonic Order after 1390, but they did not succeed in taking the entire complex. Its complete capture occurred for the first time during the1655 Battle of Vilnius. Soon afterwards, the severely damaged castles lost their importance, and many buildings were abandoned. During the Tsarist annexation, several historic buildings were demolished; many more were damaged during the fortress construction in the 19th century.

Gate of Dawn: 

It was built between 1503 and 1522 as a part of defensive fortifications for the city of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It has also been known as the Medininkai Gate, Of ten city gates, only the Gate of Dawn remains, while the others were destroyed by the order of the government at the end of the 18th century.

 

Humanitarian--Estonia, Red Cross Helping with Refugees

The Estonia Government is leasing the Isabelle Cruise line from the company Tallink. This Cruise line is docked in the Tallinn harbor. It is a home to 1,600 refugees from Ukraine and Russia. 

There is a nurse's station on the ship. Those who are sick and need medical attention visit the nurse. She/He will assess the situation and prescribe medicines for the patients. 

The patient then goes to the Red Cross Pharmacy on board the ship.

The nurse's office is open 5 days a week and serves about 20 patients per day.

The Estonian Red Cross then fills the prescriptions. These medicines are over the counter medication. They are given only what they need.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has provided medicines for this pharmacy. 

The pharmacy is open 1 day a week, but hopes to open for more days.

Challenges at the start of the Ukraine/Russian crisis:

For the first 2 months after February 24, 2022 the refugees had influenza and diarrhea. All the refugees either had COVID vaccinations or received them when they entered the ships. 

Some of the refugees sought shelter in local hotels, but as the summer tourist season started, they either moved on or they are residences on "the Isabelle." 

As of July, the ship is calm. The children were able to enroll in the Public School system for their education from February to June.

The rooms are small but adequate. The refugees store their luggage in the gated shops.

There is a place by the entrance for strollers and bikes. There are several locked up stores that are housing food storage. 

There is a cafeteria.

The children have lounges and cafeteria places to go to play games, socialize, and group activities.

There is an information desk with 2 assistances for those need help. 

There are many volunteers helping in different capacities to make this transition as smooth as possible.

The government is trying to find apartments so the ship can be used for the tourist season. Apartments are hard to come by in Estonia so it makes the refugees a little uneasy with what is going to happen to them in the future. 

The people living on the ship can come and go as they like with their own special card. Outsiders have to have special permission to enter the ship. There is a security check point. There are regular busses that stop at the harbor to take the people into the city. 

The harbor is within walking distance to Old Tallinn and malls.  

The nurses are now concerned about the coming of fall and the sicknesses that follow. 

The Estonian Red Cross would like to have a good supply of medicines and vaccines available.

PHOTO: Elder and Sister Blau, Head of Pharmacy on ship, 2 representatives from Estonia RED CROSS

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

1894–1900, when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The cathedral is Tallinn's largest orthodox church. It is dedicated to the grand prince of Kiev, and later Saint Alexander Nevsky who in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, near the present-day border between Estonia and Russia.  The cathedral was built in the 19th century and was so disliked by the Estonians as a symbol of oppression that the Estonian authorities scheduled it to be demolished in 1924, but was never implemented because of lack of funds and because of the massive construction.

Humanitarian--Pazardzhik, Bulgaria ADRA

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  helped fund a new clinic in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria partnering with ADRA of Bulgaria

This project is now providing long term services including a general practitioner on duty, dental services, psycho-social specialists, a social room for trainings, seminars, lectures, social activities of the community and a hot kitchen to support the poorest and neediest of the local population. 

This clinic is a free clinic for those who do not have insurance. The doctors, nurses, assistants, and staff will be paid by the government. Volunteers will also help in the clinic and support.

 

There are social rooms for the community to gather, group therapy, and even teaching musical instruments. ADRA set aside one room to package essential oils, honey and other health products to help offset operating costs. 

Social Media

Open house Ceremony: June 16, 2022