Refugees fleeing war-torn Ukraine are getting to enjoy “a few minutes of normal” thanks to a humanitarian effort, says Logan Barrett.
The Brant County volunteer firefighter is in Moldova with Operation Orphan, a United Kingdom-based charity helping children displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“One of the things that’s a first for me is seeing toy and blanket distribution and how much of a difference it makes to the kids,” Barrett, a Paris resident, said in an e-mail to The Expositor. “We handed out a few soccer balls and the director of the refugee center told us it was the first time the kids were out playing and smiling since they arrived.”
He said it is “special” to watch the reaction of mothers and grandmothers to children having fun.
Barrett left Canada on March 5 and expects to return home within the next week.
“Our primary goal is to protect … vulnerable children who could be at risk to human trafficking or violence,” he said. “Our secondary goal is to get boots on the ground and set the stage for a larger deployment from Operation Orphan after we leave.”
Barrett said the first couple of days were spent meeting with local leaders. The Operation Orphan team then conducted medical assessments of all the children and parents.
He said people in Moldova are sharing what little they have with Ukrainian refugees.
Molodovans are also worried about being invaded by Russia.
“There are separatist forces already in Moldova in a place called Transnistria,” he said. “They have been there for years. So, the country could flip quite quickly.”
Formally known as the Republic of Moldova, the eastern European country shares a border with Ukraine to the north, east and south. It’s western neighbor is Romania.
Barrett said Palanca, a village near the border with Ukraine, is the busiest crossing, with 5,000 to 10,000 people making the trek daily.
He said aid groups are set up to receive refugees in Palanca but some other crossings offer only tents and light snacks.
“Buses sometimes arrive to pick up refugees but sometime they don’t,” said Barrett. “Imagine being stuck there not knowing what to do or where to go.”
He said he recently saw refugees arriving in Moldova from the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, after it was shelled.
“We saw many husbands dropping their wives and children off,” said Barrett, adding that the men then head back home to fight.
“One couple was at the processing center the entire time we were there. The husband couldn’t leave Ukraine so they want to spend as much time together as possible before he had to say goodbye to his wife.”
Operation Orphan is looking for social workers, first-responders and people with military or medical training to join its team.
To learn more or to support the charity’s work in Moldova, visit www.operation-orphan.org/ .