Moldova - a second homeland for refugees

Refugees come to Moldova because it is a small and quiet country. Most of them consider Moldova their homeland and say they will never leave. An Armenian family came to Chisinau after an earthquake in their country. They chose Moldova because one of their great grandparents once lived here. They found shelter at the Housing Center for refugees and asylum seekers. The man is a shoemaker and the woman a seamstress. They can’t get legally employed because they don’t have any papers, but their hopes lie in Moldova, which they consider their second motherland. The couple has a daughter in the 9th grade. They wait to obtain the refugee status and enjoy more opportunities. Both think life in Moldova can be good if the necessary effort is done. The Housing Center is sheltering a woman from Chechnya, who came in Moldova in 2007, after a conflict with Chechen authorities and her husband had been arrested. “Here, I and my children are safe”, she said. The woman hopes that the 20th anniversary of Moldova’s independence will bring more luck and she’ll get a stable job. Another refugee came to Moldovan running from the wars that took away from him his family and closest friends. He lives in a suburb of the capital, works the land and hopes for a better future. “Moldova is the country that saved me. I hope that authorities will help us, because we have to get along on a shoestring”, he said. Djavid Paknehad, project coordinator of the Charity Center for Refugees, says that most people who choose Moldova hope to find a job here. Many leave their home countries because of wars or conflicts with authorities. In Moldova, refugees can stay at Housing Center for refugees and asylum seeker until they settle in. “Now, we have 20 people in here, but there were about 100 at the beginning of the year. They don’t pay anything. The center receives aid from international NGOs. If we deal with families, we cooperate with organizations that help the parents to find a job. Children got to kindergarten or school. Our foreign partners provide them with all necessary supplies”, said the center’s director Igor Prodan. Asylum seekers and refugees in Moldova come from over 30 countries. The Migration and Asylum Bureau has about 200 persons registered.