The Charity Centre for Refugees (CCR) is the partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Bureau for Migration and Asylum (BMA) within the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). During more than 20 years of work, CCR has registered in its records a series of notable achievements in the field of social and cultural integration of refugees in our country, being a reliable support for government structures in this regard.
Among the multitude of socio-cultural activities carried out by CCR, a special place has the commemoration, every year, on June 20, of the World Refugee Day.
This year, on 14th of June, because of the pandemic, this day was marked in a new format. In the framework of the UNHCR program and with the support of the BMA, CCR organized in the lobby of the Government building an exhibition of pictures, paintings and handicrafts made by refugee children about life of refugees in the Republic of Moldova. Previously, similar exhibitions were organized in the Palace of the Republic, Lobby of the Parliament, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Hancesti City Hall, Grand National Assembly Square, Agency of Interethnic Relations, villages of Mereni and Razeni (where CCR has 2 social houses where 8 refugee families live).
Among the guests there were Mr. Gheorghe Balan (Secretary of State of MIA), Mr. Lars Lonnback (Head of International Organization for Migration in Moldova), Mrs. Diana Doros (Head of Directorate of coordination in the field of human rights and social dialogue from the State Chancellery), Mr. Serghei Gaina (Senior Protection Associate at the Regional Office of UNHCR for Central Europe), Mrs. Olga Poalelungi (Director of BMA), and other representatives of the: MIA, UN Women, Border Police, Embassy of the State of Qatar, Department of Foreign Students of the Free International University of Moldova, Agency of Interethnic Relations, Law Centre of Advocates, Territorial House of Social Insurance (Center sector) and a group of refugee families with their children.
After exploring the art works, the inauguration of this event started with the anthem of the Republic of Moldova performed by the refugee children. Words of greeting, support, consolation and commemoration of this day (marked for the twentieth year in row), were addressed by special guests and host. Also, children recited poems and sang, to show their knowledge of the host country’s language and attachment to it.
The exhibition is open from 14th to 25th of June 2021.
CCR’s team brings its gratitude on behalf of the whole refugee community to the Government of the Republic of Moldova for making possible the exhibition and for supporting refugees.
Paknehad Șabnam-Cristina – CCR’s Deputy Director
