By Gabriela Popescu | Project Leader
When the war forced thousands of Ukrainian families to leave behind their homes, memories, and roots, Romania became more than a border they crossed. For many, it became the first place where they could finally breathe again. Yet even in the safety of Romania, the challenges they carried were heavy—fear, grief, uncertainty, trauma, and the crushing question every refugee asks: “How do I rebuild a life I never planned to leave?”
In this fragile space between loss and rebuilding, the Together Forward project grew into a lifeline. Our mission was simple, but profound: to restore dignity, confidence, and belonging to those uprooted by war.
By December 2025, the project had already reached 2,499 Ukrainian beneficiaries, including 2,261 children and youth, 100 mothers, and 120 seniors, offering education, emotional healing, sports, community bonding, and relief across Iasi, Vaslui, and Suceava counties.
September 2025
The new school year brought excitement and fear for Ukrainian children—many of whom had already switched schools multiple times since fleeing the war. Through the support of Goodera/NVIDIA Iasi, 51 Ukrainian children aged 5–14 from the EDNAE Association received fully equipped schoolbags—each one filled with supplies, but also with dignity and hope.
One mother whispered, almost embarrassed, “I could not afford a backpack this year… you saved us.”
And the children? Their smiles said everything.
That same month, we opened healing spaces where emotions could be explored safely:
These weren’t simply activities—they were anchors.
For many Ukrainian boys and girls, sports were the last thing they felt they could enjoy since leaving home. In October 2025, we restored a piece of their normal childhood by offering football equipment to 14 Ukrainian children, ages 5–11, from EDNAE.
Their first question wasn’t “What’s the brand?”
It was “Can we play today?”
Throughout October, we continued creating moments of connection:
Every gathering built trust, community, and belonging among people who once felt invisible.
Trauma often steals words—especially from children.
That’s why, in November, we launched a series of nonviolent communication workshops, teaching Ukrainian refugees how to navigate conflict, express emotions, and rebuild relationships:
Meanwhile, our beloved seniors—who often suffer silently—joined another occupational therapy workshop, where 10 participants aged 60+ cooked pancakes together, laughing like grandparents around a family table.
Even as communities opened their arms, Ukrainian families remained among the most vulnerable. Rising inflation, increased VAT, and Romania’s costofliving crisis placed enormous pressure on families who already had little. These economic hardships intensified their stress, limited access to services, and deepened feelings of instability.
Many Ukrainian refugees still struggle with limited employment opportunities, language barriers, trauma carried from the war, uncertainty about whether home still exists.
Our work became not just supportive—but essential.
Every backpack, every football jersey, every pancake cooked by seniors, every artwork painted by a teenager holds a quiet truth:
healing happens in small, human moments.
You helped Ukrainian refugees reclaim these moments.
Because of you, they are no longer “displaced people.”
They are children learning again, mothers breathing again, seniors laughing again, youth dreaming again, and communities rebuilding together.
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