Ukraine
The News
Keystone Moldova English and Keystone Moldova Romanian
Keystone Human Services (KHS) is a non-profit organization that is a part of a global movement to provide support and expertise to people with disabilities.
Keystone Moldova has supported the delivery of an additional 700 hot meals, bringing the total to 1,400 meals provided for Ukrainian refugees. Working with Ukrainian customs, volunteers loaded boxes of hot food into carts and wheelbarrows to bring the meals to refugees waiting in long lines to cross the border into Moldova.
Many refugees are women, children, and babies, so staff and volunteers donated essential items such as diapers, biscuits, fruit, and other food for refugees coming through at Palanca and Tudora (villages in Moldova). A doctor from Keystone Moldova also met with refugees with disabilities in Tudora.
Keystone Moldova is partnering with IsraAID and Institutum Virtutes Civilis to set up heated tents for mothers and babies going through customs, so they have a place to get warm and receive necessary support.
Dr. Ludmila Malcoci spoke during a webinar hosted by EASPD about the support neighboring countries are providing for Ukrainian refugees. In addition to providing more direct support through meals, heated tents, and the 24/7 hotline support service, Keystone Moldova is advocating for inclusive relief efforts. People with disability must be included in all emergency plans.
The most urgent needs right now are financial and humanitarian aid and capacity building for emergency situations. Donations are welcome and needed if you would like to support our inclusive relief efforts for Ukrainian refugees.
In addition to addressing immediate needs, Keystone Moldova is looking toward the future. Many refugees will stay in Moldova. Long-term needs include support for refugee children to be included in kindergarten, school, and other services. Policies related to emergency situations need to be revised or developed to include people with disability. Support is needed to build inclusive infrastructure and social services that account for the needs of refugees with disabilities.
You can watch the recording of EASPD’s webinar “Aiding Ukraine: What Are Neighboring Support Services Doing?” on their Facebook page.