How cash-for-work programs are transforming lives of Ukrainians in Moldova

Filadelfia Church, located in Anenii Noi, east-central Moldova, opens its doors to all. Here, people who have lost so much due to poverty, grief, or war, find what they are desperately seeking: shelter, connection, and a community. 

Larysa, a 49-year-old woman from Odesa, is one of those who found refuge from war and sorrow within these walls. On February 25, 2022, her world was shattered. The apartment building where she lived with her family was suddenly seized for military use, located in a strategic area of the city. 

“The commander ordered us to take what we could and leave within 30 minutes,” Larysa recalls. Alone with her two children, she felt utterly lost. Their journey to Moldova was filled with uncertainty - each step taking them further from the home they once knew yet offering no promise of safety or stability.

I couldn’t accept that my home was gone. I felt like I was merely existing. But now, through volunteering, I feel alive again. My life is full of purpose I thought I had lost forever.

Upon arriving in Moldova, Larysa sought solace in the church. There, she found not just spiritual support, but a renewed sense of purpose. Through World Vision’s project, funded by the Disaster Emergency Committee, Larysa became involved in the “Cash for Work” program. She found healing in helping others, organizing mental health and psychosocial support sessions for women and children who, like her, had been uprooted by war. She also found comfort in the simple act of preparing meals in the church’s kitchen, feeding those who needed it the most. 

“The first year was unbearable,” Larysa confides. “I couldn’t accept that my home was gone. I felt like I was merely existing. But now, through volunteering, I feel alive again. My life is full of purpose I thought I had lost forever.”

Inna, another volunteer, shares a similar story of resilience. At 53, she fled Odesa on April 9, 2022, with her 16-year-old daughter and 74-year-old mother. Fear had driven them to live in their basement, but even that wasn’t enough to protect her daughter from the horrors outside. When an explosion rocked a nearby village, panic spread like wildfire. Rumors of an impending curfew convinced Inna that they had to leave immediately. “As a mother, I couldn’t stand seeing my daughter suffer any longer. I had to do something,” Inna remembers.

Their arrival in Moldova marked the beginning of a new chapter. Since January 2023, Inna has been volunteering at “Filadelfia” church, ensuring that no one leaves hungry. The love and support she found there rekindled her hope for the future.

For both Larysa and Inna, the church has become more than just a place of worship - it’s a lifeline. The modest income they earn through the “Cash for Work” activity brings financial stability, but more importantly, it gives them a community and a purpose. 

Today, 87 people participate in the “Cash for Work” program organized by World Vision. Participants, both locals and refugees, work together in Refugee Accommodation Centers (RACs), providing mental health and psychosocial support to women children, women, and the elderly. Together, they are rebuilding not just their lives, but a community rooted in compassion and resilience.

To date, World Vision has reached more than 363,000 people in Moldova, including Ukrainian refugees and local communities, supporting them with mental health, protection, education, livelihoods, cash, and basic needs services. 

Story and photos by Pavel Iorga, Communications Officer