“I saw people fleeing, so I joined them,” recalls Yuri, 88, thinking back to the day he left Ukraine. “I arrived in Moldova alone, without family or children to turn to. »
Most days, Yuri spends time in the courtyard of a community mental health center in Chișinău, participating in therapeutic activities that help him deal with his emotions and loneliness.
“I feel good here, but everything is new for me in Moldova,” he says. “Sometimes it’s fun at the center. I also talk with the people who stay here, but I don’t really have any friends. Maybe it’s because I’m already old.”
Attacks on Ukraine continue to intensify, devastating civilian infrastructure.
Not far from Yuri, Ana, 73, often sits with her friend Alla, 79. Originally from Moldova, Ana lived in Odessa before the war, where she worked as a cleaner at the university.
“I loved cleaning,” she says. “When I was a child, I always helped my mother because she needed support to take care of my younger brother. »
When the war broke out, Ana’s family urged her to return to Chișinău. Although she was reunited with her loved ones, she struggled with sadness, anxiety and depression and eventually agreed to counseling.
Admitted in July 2023 with severe anxiety, insomnia and agitation, Ana gradually improved through counseling, art therapy, walks and group activities.
“I found my home here,” she said. “Now I’m not afraid anymore.”
Ana (center) sits alongside other elderly women who sought support in the center of Chișinău.
Also at the center is 25-year-old Marharyta, known as Margo. Originally from Ukraine, she arrived in Moldova a year ago and has struggled with eating disorders since the age of 15.
When her condition worsened a few months ago, she realized she could no longer manage on her own and sought help.
In Ukraine, Margo earned a degree in applied mathematics, then taught children and worked as an analyst. The war forced her to abandon her family and her job, leaving her uncertain about her future.
“I never wanted to ask my family for help because I thought I was strong enough,” she says. “I was wrong. When I got here, I realized there were people willing to support me. Never be afraid to ask for help.”
The Chișinău center offers Margo a safe place to share her experiences and find support.
Since the start of the war in February 2022, Moldova has been affected by thousands of Ukrainians crossing the border in search of safety.
Speaking ahead of World Mental Health Day celebrated annually on October 10, Arkady Astrakhan, director of the Chișinău Community Mental Health Center, said that “authorities mobilized across different sectors to coordinate the country’s response. This included setting up mental health services.”
Since 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has supported the center by developing specialized mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) for Ukrainians, including mobile teams, counselling, social activities, art therapy, accommodation for vulnerable groups and a drug treatment programme.
IOM provides almost 90% of the center’s services, providing care for people with complex needs, supported by staff training in burnout prevention and psychosocial support.
Elderly people uprooted by the war in Ukraine access counseling services in Chișinău, Moldova.
“Even though new measures have been introduced to provide medical care to people displaced from Ukraine, those suffering from chronic or severe mental health problems still face serious gaps in services.
IOM has played an important role in filling these gaps,” says Astrakhan. “Supporting people with such complex needs can be challenging, but it is also deeply meaningful.”
An hour from Chișinău, IOM’s renovated mental health center in Orhei offers tailored support to people suffering from serious mental health problems.
Since the start of the war, 1,080 Ukrainians in Moldova have received specialized mental health support from IOM, through peer-to-peer initiatives led by health mediators who connected them with timely care.
In Moldova’s community centers, resilience takes many forms. For Yuri, it’s in small conversations that he feels less alone. For others, it’s therapy sessions or the quiet reassurance that support is nearby.
Together, their stories remind us that even in the shadow of war, healing is possible.
