Europe
Romania
DRC has been working in Romania since early 2022 as part of its Ukraine crisis response. Emergency aid is provided at key locations in the country – primarily at border crossing points and in major refugee-hosting cities – where DRC supports humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees and the communities hosting them.
Current situation
As a neighbouring country to Ukraine, Romania has seen a large influx of refugees crossing Ukraine's southern and western borders. It is, however, anticipated that Romania will remain a transit country with ongoing pendular movements, with the cross-border movement trends in Romania tied to the evolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
The political situation in Romania is stable and the significant migration of skilled Romanian labour to other European countries still leaves the country unemployment rate low, providing potential work opportunities to refugees registered under the temporary protection scheme. Refugees are well accepted, with the main socio-cultural barrier being the language.
A considerable number of national and local Romanian Civil Society Organisations have partially turned their focus towards refugee response since March 2022 partnering with an equally high number of international NGOs and UN agencies.
Core sectors Romania
Displacement trends
Source: | UNHCR
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Why we are there
Gaps revolve around access to information on services, legal stay and onward movement, compounded by the wide geographical distribution of refugees.
There is a crucial lack of data beyond general refugee figures hampering the clear understanding of protection risks, needs and vulnerabilities. This is exacerbated by the fact that nearly all refugees from Ukraine are women and children. In addition to needs among refugees in Romania, vulnerabilities among members of the Roma population are unidentified and under-addressed.
DRC works to provide support and address legal needs around civil documentation – such as birth and death certificates, ID card, pensions, child custody etc. - as well as in relation to questions around Housing, Land & Property, and Education rights – factors that may influence prospects of return to areas of origin.
What we do
DRC arrived in Romania in March 2022 and has since then partnered with several local organisations for the implementation of protection activities and some provision of food and Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) targeting Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest, Suceava and several border locations.
Protection activities include the establishment of a network of interpreters in border and urban locations, trainings for interpreters and community facilitators on humanitarian and protection principles, information provision and referrals, top-up vouchers for extremely vulnerable households, and psychosocial support, including recreational activities.
Working in collaboration with
Novo Nordisk Foundation
Ole Kirk’s Fond
Contact
Helene
Lassen
Country Director for Poland, Moldova & Romania