Ukraine: refugee children return to school in Romania. Orthodox Church sends over 50 tons of humanitarian aid

(Bucharest) For five Ukrainian siblings, refugees in Romania, school has started again: in Oradea, in the west of their host country, where their maternal grandmother lives. Four males and one female, they attend the Greek Catholic High School of the city. They were brought to Romania by their father, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest, who entrusted them to their grandmother before returning to Ukraine to help his people. The Romanian authorities have recently amended their domestic legislation – also in accordance with EU law – so that refugee adults can find work, children can go to school, and students can continue their studies. The Romanian government has set up special organisations in each borough providing social assistance to refugee children - they are 30,000 so far, of whom 646 are orphans or unaccompanied minors. To date, according to the figures provided by the Romanian border police, over 340,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered Romania, of which one third have remained; the others continue their journey to other countries. State institutions, church authorities, private associations and NGOs continue not only to support refugees in transit through the country, but also to bring aid to Ukraine. The Romanian Orthodox Church has so far sent more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. “We have realised there are great needs there, and we are now sending food and basic aid to conflict areas”, the Archimandrite Iustin Tănase, counsellor at the Orthodox Archdiocese of Suceava and Rădăuți, told Romanian Orthodox TV channel Trinitas.
Valentina Bombelli