Iryna Vykhrestiuk, interpreter at the AIDRom Multidisciplinary Centre in Timisoara and volunteer: “When I see those who have lost everything manage to smile again, find a moment of peace and regain hope, I feel that my work has a deep purpose”
Our colleague Iryna, who works at the AIDRom Multifunctional Centre in Timisoara, doesn’t like to talk too much about herself, but about what she does and the impact her work has on those she helps. We invite you to hear her story and the wonderful things she does from interview published by The Woman Magazine, today, 22 May 2024.
We thank to the journalist Mara Rusu for her interest and openness.
The following are some excerpts from the interview which can be read in full HERE:
War has shown us how fragile life is, but also how strong the human spirit can be when we support each other. I knew the language as well as I knew what Romania meant, so I immediately started to help the Ukrainians who came in huge numbers and who needed shelter, basic resources, medicine, but who could not communicate without knowing a language other than Ukrainian. I felt that I had to do something for them, because their journey did not end in Romania, it was just beginning and they needed a lot of help. Since then, I have been active in working with refugees in Ukraine. The first help I gave was to help those who wanted to help find out what people fleeing the war really needed. Since July 2023, I have been working with the Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania – AIDRom, as part of the Multifunctional Centre team in Timisoara. I started as a social educator, teaching Ukrainians English and Romanian and doing cultural activities for children. Now I am an interpreter, but I also volunteer and teach people how to paint with acrylics.
For me, as for all my colleagues in AIDRom, the hardest thing is when I meet families who have gone through incredible trauma and have lost hope. Many of those fleeing war are completely devastated, have deep trauma and fear for the future. You can’t be indifferent to what these people are feeling and experiencing.
In addition to vital material assistance, we need to restore their dignity and create an environment where they feel safe and respected. I was very happy that the ”Assistance of refugees at the Timisoara Emergency Transit Centre and support to Ukrainians refugees” project, implemented by AIDRom with the support of UNHCR, I work in, we offer material, medical, legal etc. assistance, but we also offer individual and group therapy sessions to help them feel safe and start the healing process.