My name is Tatiana Havrylkova, I am 48 years old. I am from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
On March 16, 2022, I came to Romania with my son because I was forced to leave Ukraine to escape the war, as the city of Kharkiv was the first to come under fire. And it was dangerous to be there.
Romania is a beautiful country, rich in history and beautiful nature. We faced many difficulties. It was difficult to find housing, we didn’t get used to food, there were not enough funds to buy clothes, since we left Ukraine with only the most necessary things. And the main problem we faced was lack of knowledge of the Romanian language. Without knowledge of the language, it is difficult to find a job.
ARCA, or rather, its employees helped me make a CV, called employers and various organizations, accompanied me to an interview, and I am very grateful to them for that. Thanks to ARCA, I found a job and got the opportunity to provide for my family.
It was very difficult to find a job without knowing the language. However I tried to find it myself, but it did not lead to success. Thanks to cooperation with the ARCA organization, they found a vacancy for me as a cook in a restaurant. ARCA employees arranged a meeting and accompanied me to the interview. Thanks to the support of the ARCA, I was accepted and I have been working for more than 3 months.
In Romania I hoped to receive protection and help. Of course, I did not find support from the state from the first days of being in Romania, I also cannot expect help from the state, benefits are not paid, and housing is very expensive. You have to rely only on yourself. Unfortunately, I believe that Romania does not fulfill its obligations to the European Union by accepting Ukrainians. Only certain non-governmental organizations, like ARCA, provide assistance.
I cannot answer this question. In Romania, people are not valued, their work is not valued, the laws do not work, and I am convinced of this, because I have been here for almost 2 years. And I’m thinking about changing the country.
The current article is part of a series of communication materials with the overall objective to increase awareness around migration-related issues through #constructive narratives.
The project #UkraineNow is co-financed by the European Union through Erasmus+. The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the content, which reflects only the views of the authors. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
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