Eastern Europe
Whether we’re responding to the fallout of war, supporting families as they access new sources of income, or helping communities use renewable energy technologies, our programs in Eastern Europe share the same mission: to build a world where everyone has food, voice and a safe place to call home.
Through programs in Moldova, Bosnia and Serbia, we are providing safe spaces for refugees from all around the world. In Moldova, our response focuses on Ukrainian refugees and ensures they have access to education, psychosocial support and basic needs like food and shelter.
One of the most marginalized groups of people across Europe is the Roma. Roma children are often born into a cycle of poverty and inequality that can follow them for their whole lives. Through programs for Roma women and children, we are helping them break this cycle of generational poverty.
In many rural communities in Eastern Europe, families face various kinds of poverty through food insecurity and energy limitations. To combat these challenges we are inviting communities to participate in our Renewable Energy program where they can learn how to use alternative energies. Participants can also receive livestock to help overcome hunger and diversify their income. Through these programs, families are installing greenhouses, starting their own businesses and building brighter futures.
Together, we will move closer and closer to accomplishing our goal of building a better world for all.
Catching Up With an Old Friend in Georgia
“I live in the village of Kheta in the western part of Georgia,” says Tamar Chumburidze. “I am a mother of three and have two grandchildren. We all live together and our main source of income is a small plot of land where we grow [bay] laurel trees, vegetables and fruit for sale. The income we make is hardly enough to make ends meet and cover basic needs.”
Tamar’s story is all too common in her remote, rural community. Many of her neighbors, especially women, struggle to find jobs or earn a living. There’s also another challenge for families here that compounds everything else: a lack of energy sources. Every day, women and children in particular have to try to find firewood or other biomass that they can burn to heat their homes and cook meals. It’s simply too expensive to try to use gas or electricity to meet even these basic needs.
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“I Miss My Home Very Much”
Since March, 2022 Lilia Vitalievna Miasnikova has lived in Balti, Moldova where she receives support from CWS’ partner, *Zdorovii Gorod (Healthy City). Before life in Moldova, Lilia was a successful doctor in Ukraine. Her interest in medicine began when Lilia was just 11 years old as she accompanied her mom, a pediatrician, to her job. Following in the footsteps of …
Rediscovering Peace
The life that Olga and her family had in Ukraine was the type of life that many dream of. She had a loving husband and two healthy and happy children. Her daughter, Carina, was a talented ballerina and on her way to becoming trilingual at just nine years old. Her three-year-old son, Gleb, loved his family and was especially close …
Michail Creates his Own Path
Like many Ukrainian children, 16-year-old Michail was forced to grow up too soon when Russia invaded his home in Kherson, Ukraine. Michail, his younger sister and his mom fled to the neighboring country of Moldova, but Michail’s father was forced to remain in Russian-occupied Kherson. In his new home, Michail stepped up and took the role of his mother’s “right …