Over 200 children from Moldova, Ukraine rest together at summer camp in Vadul lui Vodă

Chisinau, Aug. 3 /MOLDPRES/- More than 200 children from Moldova and Ukraine are the first of the approximately 900 who will rest at the Pearls of the Dniester camp in Vadul lui Vodă during August. Both children from the Republic of Moldova and those from Ukraine were accommodated for free thanks to the efforts made by the Government and development partners, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

The Single Crisis Management Center (CUGC), in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection (MMPS) came up with the initiative to intensify the process of social integration of refugee children from Ukraine and create communities stronger locals.

"I'm glad that we managed to offer both children from Ukraine and those from Moldova the joy of occupying their useful and interesting time during the summer vacation. Refugee children also have the right to socialize, learn and continue their childhood even if they are far from their home", said Colonel Adrian Efros, head of CUGC.

The selection and acceptance of children from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova into the program of free camps took place based on the registration requests of refugee families and local public administrations in the community of which there are refugees from the neighboring country. "Children from families that hosted Ukrainian refugees were accepted at the camp. Another basic criterion was the institutions in which children from Ukraine were institutionalized. Similarly, we selected children from socially vulnerable families. Our common goal is to facilitate the integration of all these children into our community", underlined Adriana Cazacu, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Research.

Every morning begins with the anthem of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, symbolizing the inclusion of the children in the camp, more than half of whom are from refugee families from the neighboring country.

The visit of the representatives of the Government and the development partners took place on the day when the camp celebrated the day of hugs, with the children celebrating with hugs, music and dance. Arina is 12 years old and is from Ștefan Vodă. From the first days of the camp, Arina has already managed to make a friend from Kyiv. Communication is not a problem for the two girls because they have been very good at socializing through dance.

Four months ago, 14-year-old Zahar settled with his mother in Criuleni. The boy told us that here in the camp he likes food and sports competitions the most. With a smile on his face and confident by nature, Zahar mentioned that he had befriended three children from Moldova, whom he would like to invite to his home in Ukraine, when there is peace.

The rest camp offers children accommodation, four meals a day, but also a series of activities aimed at encouraging children's relationships through entertainment, artistic programs and cultural and sports competitions.

The summer camps for the 900 children are organized with the financial support of the Soros Foundation from Moldova, UNICEF Moldova and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The transport of the children to the Vadul lui Vodă camp is provided by the UN Refugee Agency.

Photo: Government