Since the escalation of the international armed conflict in Ukraine in February of this year, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been responding to the increasing humanitarian needs in Central and Eastern Europe, as a result of the war.

Despite being one of Europe’s poorest countries, Moldova has welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees from the war in Ukraine. Many remain in Moldova, living in host communities across the country.

An unlikely haven

While Moldova enjoyed robust growth in the output and living standards over the past decades, it has relied on a growth and political economy model fundamentally different from that of developed Central and Eastern European countries.

As temperatures dropped across the left bank of the Dniester River in Moldova, thousands of people found themselves caught in a crisis they had long feared but never fully prepared for. The sudden halt in gas supplies left entire communities without heat, forcing families to endure freezing conditions. Displaced Ukrainians were among the worst affected.

Halyna came with her husband and young children from Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova, aiming to find a safe place to settle. This had been a difficult decision for the family, but they decided it was the right thing for the children.

Heartache and hope

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been working in Moldova since April 2022. We implement our activities both directly and through our partners.

In the last year we have assisted more than half a million people in Ukraine, and neighbouring countries.

Commissioned by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) country office in Moldova and carried out by Scruples Research, this study aims to map viable economic activities that can benefit refugees and vulnerable host community households in the northern districts of Moldova (Ocnita, Briceni, Soroca).