From outside to inside: Integrating the Ukrainian migrants into the Romanian society

Four months into the implementation of the social initiative "Integration of migrants into the Romanian society (INTEG-RO)", launched by B&S Europe in partnership with the ICAR Foundation, several actions have been conducted in two of the country’s biggest cities, Bucharest and Ia?i, to help with the integration of refugees – mainly women and children - that fled the war in Ukraine during the past year.

When finding safety ends, a new journey begins – that of coping with a new reality, a new way of life, new practical and emotional needs while trying to accept and get integrated into the new society that has become, even temporarily, a new home.

Aware of this multi-dimensional issue, the INTEG-RO project team has identified a target group among several Ukrainian families, establishing the eligibility criteria for their inclusion in the project and the different personal, professional, educational, creative, and recreational needs to be addressed by the upcoming project activities.

An intensive dissemination campaign of the project was conducted throughout the months of August and September among local authorities and NGOs in the cities of Bucharest and Ia?i, including institutions and organisations such as Ia?i City Hall, the Community Assistance Department of Iasi, the General Department of Social Assistance and Child Protection sect. 1 and the General Directorate of Social Assistance of the Municipality of Bucharest, CNRR – the Romanian National Council for Refugees, IOM - International Organization for Migration, Alternative Sociale - Ia?i, AIDROM Iasi and Bucharest, WorldStreet Association - Ia?i, Socialitera Ia?i Association, Red Cross Ia?i and Bucharest, Save the Children Ia?i and Bucharest, or La R?scruce Association – Ia?i.

In September and October 2022, counting on the support of Ukrainian and Romanian community mediators, as well as Ukrainian translators, the project team organised several activities for Ukrainian children and mothers, engaging them separately or altogether.

These activities included workshops organised at the Romanian Village Museum, the Museum of the Romanian Peasant, the Botanical Garden, Her?str?u Park. A number of creative workshops (e.g. manufacturing various objects, therapy games through art, etc.) were also organised in Ia?i and Bucharest, in addition to outdoor activities (walking, sport competitions, visits to the Animal Farm, games) and visits to various points of interest, in order to get oriented/culturally adapted to the Romanian society.

The Ukrainian children enjoyed special performances and contests with prizes (e.g. photo, painting, crafts-focused) created especially for them, sometimes involving adults (mothers and grandparents) in organising traditional events/traditions practiced in Ukraine.

The promotion of the activities online and on social media helped with the identification of beneficiaries, while post-events reports in the media helped with the visibility of the project and raised awareness of the general issue – the integration of Ukrainian refugees into the Romanian society - among public.

“From the very beginning, one of the most challenging tasks has been how to best promote the project to beneficiaries and how to motivate them to participate in the activities, given the very challenging and difficult times they are facing. Asking trust and integration efforts from people displaced by war, not by choice, whose hope is to return soon to their homes, to their loved ones left behind and to normality, it is not easy and our priority was doing so with empathy and respect. Setting up a Telegram account for direct communication and the support received from the Ukrainian translator was crucial in getting the message through and mobilising participants”, points out Anca Bucur, Project Coordinator and community mediator.

Each group of beneficiaries was different and required a differentiated approach.

“We’ve seen this especially with setting up groups for some outdoor activities for mothers and children, when mobilising the mothers living in apartments across the cities was easier than convincing some mothers living in the official centers. For example, some of the art therapy workshops organised in collaboration with the Museum of the Romanian Peasant were held at the centers and not at the museum as initially planned”, adds Irina Conduru??, in-house Events Manager at our Bucharest office and the Project Coordinator of INTEG-RO.

Beyond the logistical complexity, it is the amazing human interaction and the response from the beneficiaries that steels the light. Friendships were made between the participants, who help each other in their daily lives. At the end of each activity with the children, they leave with a smile on their faces and tell the project team that they are delighted with the activities. After the therapy sessions, the mothers report that they are calmer, sleep better, which helps them to better cope with the situation and take care of the children.

One of the project volunteers in Iasi, Monica Popescu, explains the high demand of activities among beneficiaries also thanks to the diversity of each session, built on different themes each time, which have aroused the interest and curiosity of the participants. At the Botanical Garden in Bucharest, children enjoyed the greenhouse with exotic plants, they ran and climbed trees. The autumn colours delighted everyone's eyes. In Ia?i, we organised creative activities for mothers and children with the themes "Autumn is coming!", "Where do we keep the coins?", "Painting autumn", "Halloween preparations", "Halloween party" and more.??

“In Ia?i, during the project, we have created a habit of meeting weekly at different therapy or creative sessions, and the registration already ends after the first 4-5 minutes. There are beneficiaries who write and apologise that they did not have internet or were not near the phone when we posted the announcement of the activities planned for the following week and they want to make sure we know they are interested and we will keep them in the loop for the next ones”, she says.

The constant feedback received has indeed been extremely positive. More than the comfort, the project has so far aimed at offering also very concrete support.

Several medical, psychological and vocational counselling sessions were organised for the target group during the same time frame. The medical support focused on the identification of family doctors, specialists and securing appointments as needed. The project has provided psychological counselling and psychotherapy meetings for various issues to overcome acute stress and alcohol consumption. The vocational counselling aimed at identifying areas of interest for potential Ukrainian employees based on skills, educational background and work experience. The team searched for jobs for Ukrainians refugees to apply, and in some cases, mediated in the communication with prospective employers during phone interviews.

In September 2022, the project organised the “Job Fair for Ukrainians in Ia?i" , in collaboration with the WorldStreet Association. Approximately 250 people attended the event held at the Students' Culture House. The team mediated communication between Ukrainians and employers with the help of translators, established contacts with participants employers and used a Telegram group to post information about job vacancies in Iasi, addressing legal issues, questions and answers about the job market. During the event, the project distributed 200 hygiene packs for adults and children, as well as leaflets and information material about the INTEG-RO project and proposed activities.

Before the project ends at the beginning of 2023, it is set to continue with more similar educational, creative, and recreational activities, in support of the beneficiaries.

"Integration of migrants into the Romanian society (INTEG-RO)" was launched by B&S Europe in July 2022 and implemented in partnership with the Romanian NGO, the ICAR Foundation . The project is an internal B&S social responsibility initiative, launched to promote social development through concrete impact in the countries we work. Each year, a project is selected and financed following an internal competition. Our staff is directly involved in the financing, formulation and management of the projects.?