The Chisinau Municipality and the NGO "Refugee Charity Center" (CCR) signed a five-year cooperation agreement on Thursday, aiming to uphold human rights, develop national and international social projects for the community's benefit, improve governance and administration, and strengthen the educational system, health, and early development, focusing particularly on refugee children from Ukraine temporarily settled in Chisinau.

The parties intend to identify ways of bilateral cooperation to enhance the implementation of humanitarian, social, and human rights protection programs, and to exchange information to strengthen the joint implementation of projects.

The General Mayor, Ion Ceban, highlighted that the experience of the partners from the Refugee Charity Center has been of great assistance to the local public authorities in Chisinau during the 2022 refugee crisis, in the context of supporting those fleeing the war in Ukraine. "Together, we have managed to integrate several refugees into Moldovan society who have, and continue to need, medical, legal, and social assistance, support for employment, or inclusion of children in the education system. The Municipality is always open for cooperation," the mayor added.

It's also noteworthy that, under a pilot project, refugee students from Ukraine attending four schools in Chisinau and one in the municipality of Comrat will benefit from free Romanian language courses. This includes High School "A. Chekhov", High School "N. Gogol", High School "M. Lomonosov", Gymnasium "T. Shevchenko", and High School "D. Mavrodi" in the municipality of Comrat. Once again, Chisinau Municipality has as a partner the Refugee Charity Center.

The NGO "Refugee Charity Center" is a non-governmental organization founded by an Afghan refugee, Ahmad Djavid Paknehad, in the Republic of Moldova, with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

CCR has been a partner of UNHCR and the General Inspectorate for Migration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova for over 24 years.

CCR's mission is to facilitate the pre-integration process of asylum seekers and the integration of refugees for their harmonious inclusion in Moldovan society.