Visit of Ms. Dafina Gercheva at the Charity Centre for Refugees

The Charity Centre for Refugees (CCR), the implementing partner of UNHCR, invited Ms. Dafina Gercheva, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for the Republic of Moldova to a meeting with refugees in CCR’s staff. Ms. Dafina kindly accepted our invitation and visited our office on 29 April 2016.

The meeting gathered a group of refugees and asylum seekers - women, men and children, together with Mr. Traian Ţurcanu, the Head of UNHCR Moldova, and CCR team, within a warm and pleasant atmosphere.

The Director of the CCR, Mr. Djavid Paknehad started with a presentation about the activity performed during 17 years of CCR’s work, pointing the achievements and the difficulties faced within all this long period of time.

Getting familiarized with the activities and facilities provided by the CCR to refugees and asylum seekers, Ms. Dafina initiated an interactive discussion with the refugees, providing interest about different aspects of their life here in Moldova. Some of refugees shared their life stories and told about the way that led them here, about the problems met within their integration and how CCR supported them in those difficult situations. A group of refugee women took the chance to talk about the assistance and support received at the UNHCR implementing partners, and especially at CCR, about the importance of the activity of this centre for their professional and personal life, for the development and education of their children, and other sensitive issues in the context of their integration in the new culture and society. They pointed out that this centre, through everyday facilities, became their second home.

Ms. Dafina expressed her intention to offer support to the CCR and its beneficiaries in the problems they face now and in the future, as to ensure the durability and efficiency of the cumbersome integration process of refugees.

The refugees and the asylum seekers and the CCR team are grateful to Ms. Dafina for the time shared with us, for her interest in our success and development, for the attention and support offered with much warmth and insight.

Ms. Dafina promised that during her next visit, she will share with us her life story and would be interested to learn about the life of the refugees. We wish her and her team success in all their achievements, and waiting forward to her next visit to our centre.


Maria Pîslaraş - CCR Project Assistant

Panno Celeste - EVS volunteer from Italy