More than four years have passed since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Public attention has faded and many emergency response programs have come to an end. But for families who were forced to leave their homes, the journey is far from over.
For a child, integration means more than simply walking through the gates of a Romanian school. It means understanding what the teacher is saying. Being able to answer a question. Doing homework. Making friends. No longer feeling like an outsider in the classroom.
For a parent, it can mean knowing how to enrol a child in school, how to see a doctor, or where to ask for help when both the language and the system are unfamiliar.
And for a family, integration means gradually being able to build a life again.
Between February and August 2026, through the “Inclusive Recovery and Protection for Ukrainian Refugees in Eastern Europe Romania” project, Inimă de Copil Foundation directly supported 755 children and adults in Galați and Brăila, with the support of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP). The project was originally designed to reach more than 300 people.
From visitors in classes to becoming fully enrolled students
Perhaps some of the most meaningful changes have taken place in the lives of the children.
For a time, some Ukrainian children attended Romanian schools as auditors rather than fully enrolled students. They were present in the classroom, but the language barrier made it difficult to participate fully in lessons and demonstrate what they were capable of.
At Inimă de Copil’s Afterschool Centers in Galați and Brăila, children received consistent homework assistance, individualized learning support, and opportunities to practise Romanian in an environment where they could ask questions, make mistakes, and try again.
The results tell a story we are proud of: 80% of the children attending our Afterschool programs passed the required Romanian language examination and were accepted as fully enrolled students in Romanian schools.
Of the 39 children who attended the Afterschool programs, more than 20 completed the school year with very good academic results, while six received merit awards, placing them among the high-performing students in their classes.
Behind these numbers are children who have had to learn, almost at the same time, a new language, the rules of a new school system, and how to live in a new country.
Today, most of the children attending our Day Center communicate fluently in Romanian, participate in school life, and learn alongside their Romanian classmates.
They are no longer simply Ukrainian children attending a school in Romania. They are becoming part of their schools and their communities.
Integration can begin with a simple “Bună ziua”
For adults, learning Romanian can make the difference between constantly depending on someone else for help and being able to manage everyday situations independently.
During the seven months of the project, 96 people attended Romanian language classes, with 89 lessons delivered in Galați and Brăila.
They learned Romanian so they could speak with their children’s teachers, doctors, public institutions, employers, or simply the people they meet in everyday life.
But integration does not happen only in a classroom.
That is why 288 children and adults took part in social integration and community-building activities. Romanian and Ukrainian children came together for creative activities, events, outings, and summer camps. During the summer, two camps in Năruja brought together 81 Romanian and Ukrainian children.
These were more than recreational activities. They created opportunities for people to meet, talk, play, and build relationships in spaces where no one had to remain simply “the refugee” or “the host.”
Sometimes, support means being there when someone needs to see a doctor
The largest part of the project was also one of the least visible.
608 people received protection and support in accessing essential services. Among them were 85 people over the age of 60, for whom an unfamiliar language and an entirely new administrative system can turn even everyday tasks into major challenges.
More than half of the adult refugees supported through the project were newly arrived in Romania.
Our team provided information, translation and interpretation, support in accessing healthcare and registering with a family doctor, applying for child allowances and social benefits, navigating administrative procedures, finding housing-related support, and accessing food, hygiene products, and other resources available in the community.
In total, 1,171 protection and access-to-services interventions were provided.
Sometimes, support meant simply providing the right information. At other times, it meant translating a document or accompanying someone who could not navigate a situation alone — whether at a local social assistance office, the disability assessment commission, the child allowance office, a doctor’s surgery, a hospital, the immigration authorities, or another public service.
There is no single formula for helping a family start over. That is why our support was tailored to each person’s circumstances and needs.
A warm meal and a safe place for children
Stability is also built through very practical things.
Through the project’s educational programs and activities, 3,538 meals were provided, while 86 beneficiaries received nutritional support.
For children, our centers offered more than homework assistance. They provided routine, familiar faces, friends, activities, and a place they could return to each day.
For younger children, our educational group for preschoolers offered an age-appropriate environment where they could learn, communicate, and prepare for their future transition into formal education.
When people who once needed support begin supporting others
One of the most meaningful changes, however, cannot be measured by the number of services delivered.
Our Foundation’s team also includes Ukrainian colleagues who are themselves part of the community affected by the war.
Over time, they have gained experience, confidence, and independence. Today, they are increasingly able to organize and lead activities for children and adults themselves.
They are no longer simply the people who help us communicate with Ukrainian beneficiaries. They are part of the Inimă de Copil team, our culture, and our mission.
This reflects another, less visible but deeply important form of integration: people who once needed support themselves are now able to create opportunities and provide support for others. IDC narative final report 2026_…
More than 30 volunteers chose to stand alongside them
The wider community responded, too.
More than 30 Romanian and Ukrainian volunteers became involved in the project. They helped children with homework, Romanian and English language learning, and took part in recreational activities and summer camps.
Public institutions, schools, local organizations, and cultural institutions also joined this effort. Partnerships with the Galați County Council, Bob & Bike Adrenalina Gârboavele, the “Răzvan Angheluță” Museum of Natural Sciences in Galați, the “Carol I” Museum of Brăila, Palatul Copiilor Brăila, Micul Prinț Chess Club, and the Galați Food Bank helped expand the opportunities and resources available to children and families. IDC narative final report 2026_…
Because integration cannot be achieved by one NGO alone.
It happens when schools, institutions, organizations, volunteers, and community members continue to keep their doors open.
More than four years on, the need for support has not disappeared. It has changed.
In the first months of the war, the needs were immediate and highly visible.
Today, they are often less obvious.
A child needs to succeed at school. A parent needs to understand the institutions of a new country. An adult needs to learn the language in order to become more independent. A family needs to rebuild relationships, stability, and a sense of belonging.
And because we work close to the Ukrainian border, we continue to meet newly arrived people when conditions at home become unsafe or essential services are disrupted.
During the seven months of the project, 755 people received direct support. More than 2,163 direct services were delivered, alongside 3,538 meals.
But perhaps the most important result cannot be captured in a table. It is the child who no longer sits in a classroom unable to understand, but raises their hand and answers in Romanian. It is the parent who begins to know where to go and what to do. It is the person who no longer only needs support, but begins, in turn, to support others.
Integration does not happen in a day. It is built step by step, when we choose to stay alongside people long enough for today’s support to become tomorrow’s independence.
This work was made possible in part through financial support from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), allowing us to continue the project at a time when many programs supporting refugees were being reduced or discontinued.
Our thanks go to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, our volunteers and partners, our Romanian and Ukrainian colleagues, and everyone who continues to stand alongside children and families.
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