A new life, step by step

Three years can feel like a lifetime when you're a teenager and your world changes overnight. For Vasile, a 19-year-old Ukrainian refugee now living in Iași, it has been exactly three years since he left behind everything familiar: his hometown, his language, his childhood friends. Three years since he began rewriting his life from scratch in a country he knew nothing about. Since then, Vasile has been learning something new every day: a phrase in Romanian, a shortcut through the city, a different way of belonging. He doesn’t talk much about the past, but he doesn’t run from it either. He holds dear the country he left behind, yet he searches patiently for his place in this new one, convinced that his future is worth building here. He dreams that one day, his story will no longer be a story about war, but about the man he may become in spite of it. 

When Vasile fled the war in March 2022, alongside his sister and 41 other children from a residential centre in Dnipro, he had no idea where they were going or when he will be back. He was 16, and there was nothing familiar left around him. He didn’t know a single person in Romania, didn’t speak a word of the language, and none of the questions in his mind had any clear answers. They had left Ukraine in the dark, the train lights turned off, crossing the border into the complete unknown. His parents had long ceased to be present in his and his sister’s lives, but together they had already learned how to find a balance—one that would carry them forward no matter what. 

That’s how they arrived at “Bucium” Social Services Centre in Iași, a place that, in the spring of 2022, was transformed overnight from a day centre into an emergency shelter for 43 Ukrainian refugee children. Faced with this unexpected crisis, UNICEF has stood alongside the Iași General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection (DGASPC Iași) and the “Bucium” Centre from the very beginning, providing essential support to adapt the space: furniture, food, educational materials, and the rehabilitation of a day center.  

That support continues to this day, ensuring that both the refugee children and the Romanian children in the center’s care have access to stable conditions, education, and a safe environment where they can continue their lives. 

After remotely finishing the studies he had started back in Ukraine and beginning to learn Romanian, Vasile entered a period of exploration. He gave himself time and stayed open to everything he could learn—anything that might help him later on. That’s how he ended up taking courses in computer science, English, electrical engineering, barbering, and even pottery. He discovered that sometimes, curiosity can help you move forward, even when it’s not yet clear where each step will lead you. 

Today, Vasile is proud to be a university student in Romania. He was admitted to the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports at “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University. As a foreign student, he first had to complete a preparatory year, during which he had to prove he knew Romanian well enough to keep up with his classmates. It wasn’t easy. He attended five hours of Romanian language classes every day, he studied hard, asked questions, practiced, and conquered his nerves to make it through his first exams proudly. 

“I want to become a Romanian citizen,” says Vasile, with the calm smile of a young man who’s already learned that if you approach life with patience and openness, good things will come, in their own time. 

Since starting university, Vasile has chosen to live in a dorm to be more independent. He shares a room with two fellow students: one from Ukraine and the other from Vietnam. His sister is also a student in Iași, studying Psychology, and the two continue to support each other, just as they always have. Although he says his life hasn’t changed drastically, given that  prior to the war he was used to communal living in the residential centre, Romania is where he first experienced a sense of stability. “I feel very safe in Romania,” Vasile says with a smile on his face. His life now has a steadier rhythm, with predictable days and no fear of what tomorrow might bring. And, finally, he can begin to imagine what could come next for him.  

When he’s not studying, Vasile spends his time like any other student. He still plays online games with his childhood friends every now and then—friends he hasn’t seen since 2022. When he hears their voices through his headset, it’s easy to imagine, even for a moment, that they’re still close, just like before. But the reality is different: some are in Poland, others in Germany, scattered in all directions, each trying to find their place in a world that was turned upside down for them. 

During school holidays, when the student dorms empty out, Vasile returns to the “Bucium” Centre, where he still receives support with food, housing, medical care, and psychological counseling. Andreea Corodescu, the centre’s coordinator, describes him as “a gentle and hardworking young man, with a sincere desire to succeed. He has the ability to push beyond his limits and keep moving forward, no matter the challenges.”  

The support still continues for the children that are still in the care of the “Bucium” Centre, each trying, in their own way, to find their path, just as Vasile did. As for Vasile, at 19, his story is just beginning. He continues on his path with the same patience that taught him to take life one step at a time. He’s still discovering, still trying, and all the while, the world he arrived in three years ago has slowly begun to take the shape of a place he’s taken to calling, more and more often, home. 

Over the past few years, UNICEF has been a vital partner to the center, supporting both the children and the staff. It has helped ensure the quality of services through relevant personnel and technical support, equipped the facilities, and provided educational activities, trips, camps, and courses that have opened up new perspectives for the children, giving them a real chance to live a safe life where they can once again think about the future.This contribution has been made possible with the support of the United States Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, a strong partner in protecting and promoting the integration of Ukrainian refugee children in Romania.