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Only 10% of parents of Ukrainian refugee children in Romania can cover all their basic needs, 26% most of their needs, 60% partially/some needs, 4% no needs at all, according to an analysis by Save the Children conducted in February.
Of the needs they cannot cover, the most common (74%) are related to paying the rent and utilities, 54% are related to doctor visits and buying medicines, 43% are related to clothing and footwear, 39% are related to household items, 32% are related to food, the source said.
93% of respondents live in rented flats or houses, 2.86% in accommodation provided by the government, 2.39% with private persons without paying rent.
In terms of education, 34% of children need support to learn Romanian, 28% need IT equipment, 15% need school supplies, 10% need afterschool programmes.
Regarding access to health services for children, 37% answered that health services are accessible, 45% answered that they are difficult to access, 6% answered that they have no access at all, 10% mentioned that they do not need these services, 2% preferred not to answer.
Concerning adult health services, 30% responded that the services are accessible, 54% responded that they are difficult to access, 7% responded that they have no access at all, while 9% mentioned that they do not need health services.
62% of the refugees interviewed were not employed at the time of the questionnaire, 17% were employed under contract in Romania, 11% work remotely for a company outside Romania, 7% are employed without a contract and 3% are retired.
According to the analysis, the lack of communication skills in Romanian is the reason that most refugees from Ukraine declare as an impediment to employment (65%), followed by the need to care for a family member (adult or child) (54%).
Although the answer to the question of whether they want to stay and live in Romania is mostly "no" or "don't know," those who confirm that they will stay add that this is the children's choice and that they are already studying here (the children thus demonstrating their need to integrate). Those who do not see their future here mention the difficulty of finding a job and learning Romanian, homesickness and missing their loved ones.
Most of them do not want their children to leave online school in Ukraine, and parallel attendance is difficult, the language barrier being a problem here too.
The needs analysis of Ukrainian refugees was carried out in February through a quantitative analysis (questionnaire), to which was added a qualitative part, represented by 22 focus groups comprising three age categories (children, adolescents and adults).
Save the Children is with the Ukrainian refugees, constantly assessing needs and providing humanitarian assistance, as appropriate, at border crossings with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, in the Accommodation and Procedures Centres for Asylum Seekers of the General Inspectorate for Immigration, in refugee camps coordinated by the IGSU, in various staging points, in Integrated Service Centres set up by Save the Children in several localities and in partner schools.
To date, Save the Children Romania has provided support to 345,553 people, including 176,547 Ukrainian children and 169,006 adults.
