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Together We Can

Bucharest, Nov. – Dec. 2022

 

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, some 1.5 million women, children and the elderly have been seeking refuge in neighboring Romania. Around 86 thousand refugees remain in the country in hopes of being able to return to their homeland.

 

In the Romanian capital a former university dorm was transformed by its own students into temporary accommodations for Ukrainian families fleeing the war in their hometowns. Over the past nine months more than 2000 people have been passing through the shelter. Today, the four-floor building is a home for around 250 women, children, and elderly.

 

Winter is here and you can’t help but notice the gloomy weather. So, in a partnership with KEEN we are on a mission to make a more comfortable temporary home for everyone seeking refuge in the shelter. We are providing the residents with all the necessary items for use in daily life.

Packed in a cotton bag, we handed out towels, socks, shampoo, soap, and other personal products. Each family was given a kettle to make tea and coffee in the comfort of their own room.  We also distributed hundreds of children’s and women’s footwear. Now, all the women and children in the shelter have comfortable and protective shoes that fit well.

This is undoubtedly a difficult and uncertain time for the children, so we’ve been renovating and equipping the common children’s room. As you walk up the stairs to the first floor of the shelter you can hear the buzzing and giggles of children playing in the corridors near the common children’s room. To create a safe space for the physical and emotional wellbeing of the children, we started renovating the 6 x 7 m2 room. While we were fixing the walls and painting them a light blue color, children and parents peeked through the door excited to see the progress of it all. Bringing in new furniture, joyful rugs, a couch, wooden easels as well as tables, chairs, new lights and filling the room with toys ensures a safe environment in which the children can play and express themselves, “Room for Hope”. 

Before
After

On the second and fourth of December our team visited two more shelters in Bucharest and handed dozens more of KEEN footwear to Ukrainian refugee families residing there. 

“Together We Can”
Phase one completed

To conclude the first phase of our campaign “Together We can”, we invited all the children and their mothers to “Room for Hope” to celebrate with us the beginning of the holiday season.

With Romanian Cozonac, the traditional festive bread, cookies, macarons, juice packs and music we celebrated “Together We Can” with the residents of the shelter. “Room for Hope” was coloured with giggles and laughs.

Our team will remain on the ground in Romania to keep helping and empowering Ukrainian refugees in the country.

Fairytales from Home

On February 20, 2023 our team returned to the former university dorm transformed into temporary accommodations housing around 200 Ukrainian refugees in the Romanian capital.

With our project, “Fairytales from Home”, our goal is to offer Ukrainian refugees in Romania a sense of well-being and connection to their homeland by installing a library of Ukrainian books in their shelter.

Our team collected and brought the books directly from Ukraine, an effort not only to help the refugees to feel connected to their country, but also one that empowers the community in Ukraine where the books originated. These 150 children’s books as well as some for adults, were transported about 1,058 km traveling from Kyiv to Chernivtsi, then crossing the border in Romania to Suceava and finally reaching their destination in Bucharest.

On February 23, 2023 all of the books were taken up to the third floor of the shelter to a room that’s being used to teach the children.

Now, with our project, “Fairytales from Home”, we hope the installation of a library of Ukrainian books provides additional comfort to the refugees as they continue to face the challenges of a life away from their homeland.

In a partnership with our long-term supporter KEEN, “Together We Can” was launched to help and empower Ukrainian refugees in Romania this winter. In this humanitarian crisis we aim to support and uplift the refugees to help them navigate the difficulties of being forced to flee their homes.

Please contact us if you wish to contribute to our projects, or you can directly donate HERE.

1 Comment Found

  • Nataliia Says:
    January 19, 2024 02:33:55

    Thank you so much for supporting Ukraine and its children! I just came across your brand from HONY page, and I will be your customer forever because of your kindness towards others ❤ I'm sure my boys will love your shoes! Kind regards, Nataliia.

    Reply

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