CHISINAU - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and its cooperating partners have delivered 1 million hot meals since 15 March to Ukrainian refugees living in WFP-supported Refugee Accommodation Centres (RACs) in Moldova.
Over half a million people are estimated to have fled into Moldova from Ukraine since the start of the conflict. With around 90,000 remaining in Moldova, the country is hosting more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other country. While many refugees who stayed in Moldova are living with host families, approximately three thousand are staying in the 70 RACs across the country. These RACs were set up by Moldovan authorities to respond to the urgent needs of people crossing out of Ukraine.
"The people and Government of Moldova have shown - and continue to show - an inspiring level of compassion and solidarity with the people of Ukraine," said WFP Emergency Coordinator Jonathan Campbell. "The support we have seen provided by host communities and in the RACs is a testament to Moldova's generosity and hospitality as a country."
WFP provides three hot meals per day to the residents of 40 RACs in the country. Where government-approved kitchen facilities are available at RACs, WFP provides commodity vouchers worth 100 Lei per-person per day for the RAC managers to purchase food to cook on-site. If cooking facilities are not available, then local caterers or restaurants provide the food, thereby helping the economy in these often-remote communities.
"This milestone in our support to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova would not be possible without the generous support from our donors, Japan and the European Union," Jonathan Campbell added.
WFP is also providing cash-based assistance to Moldovan households hosting refugees from Ukraine. More than three rounds of cash-based transfers have taken place, reaching over 10,000 families and injecting more than US $4 million into the local economy.
