Orlando Bloom speaks with a Ukrainian mother and child in Moldova on March 23.Photo: Vincent Tremeau/UNICEF
I’ve traveled extensively inmy role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, but my recent trip to Moldova, a country on Ukraine’s southern border with limited resources to deal with the hundreds of thousands ofrefugeesthat have arrived there over the past month, is something I will never forget. I saw mothers arriving at the border shell-shocked and exhausted after long and harrowing journeys to escape bombs and shelling. I saw families that left so quickly that their worldly belongings had been reduced to only the clothes they are wearing. I saw children carry their favorite teddy bears unsure of what was to come next.
As a father, I would do whatever it took to protect my children, yet I could barely begin to comprehend the devastating decisions these mothers were forced to make.
Orlando Bloom visits the home of Igor Hincu (second from right), who has taken in 12 families since fighting began.Vincent Tremeau/UNICEF
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I was at a UNICEF-supported Blue Dot center when Igor, a man who embodies the generosity of the Moldovan people, arrived with bags full of toys. Children came running in all directions. He’s just one of the many people who have opened up their homes to the refugees. More than two-thirds of refugees arriving in Moldova are staying with host families, and the generosity of people like Igor, who has hosted 12 refugee families since the war broke out, is truly inspiring.
In total, 2 million children have been forced to leave everything behind in search of safety in neighboring countries. Together, with the 2.5 million children internally displaced inside Ukraine, it’s one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II. The numbers are staggering. So much trauma for so many young lives. None of these children will ever be the same.
Back home now, I can’t stop thinking about all the families I met and everything they left behind. Not just their homes, but their schools, friends, family members and almost everything they own. I think about my own children and what it might be like for them to suffer the pain and grief of losing their homes and everything they’ve ever known in a senseless instant.
Ukrainian families like this one (with Orlando Bloom on March 23) can receive essential services at UNICEF Blue Dot centers.Vincent Tremeau/UNICEF
How You Can Help
UNICEF provides emergency assistance to refugees. To support and learn more, clickhere.
source: people.com
