Foundation Damen Support revisited the Community Centre in Galati

Recently, Foundation Damen Support revisited the Community Centre in Galati, Romania, serving as the home base for evacuated Ukrainian Damen families. This centre, established through donations to the Foundation, proves to be invaluable for Ukrainian children, mothers and grandmothers currently living in the city.

The Foundation spoke with various MDEM colleagues who were evacuated at the beginning of the war. They shared positive messages about their well-being and expressed gratitude for the support in restoring their daily routines. This includes measures such as providing workspaces and childcare, allowing our colleagues to work without disruptions. Mental and physical health care is also provided, along with the opportunity to attend language courses to improve integration.

This visit to the Community Centre gave an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and their families. Conversations with women and children revealed their desires and aspirations for the future. Annelies Damen described receiving almost the same answer from all the women, "We long for peace and a return home to our old lives and our husbands." Annelies added, "The children especially hope for a positive future, where they can study. They spoke of how they have been inspired by Damen during the Summer School and possibly wanted to become Engineers."

Although the daily routine is slowly returning, it is heartbreaking to hear that hope and perspective are still hard to find as the war persists. We are proud of what we have achieved with the Foundation, but the realization that its work is far from finished deeply affects us.