Author: Lutz Drieling
Photo credit: Vardan Papikyan
Date: April, 2023
Raluca Teodor is the Vice-president of the ARCADIA – The Romanian Association for International Cooperation and Development and works for Mercy Corps and the Foundation for Civil Society Development. She was always connected to NGOs and worked for one year on a UN project in Afghanistan.
Please tell us about your role(s) during the humanitarian crisis.
In the first month, my role was to facilitate connections for ARCADIA and other NGOs. I started commuting to the National Intervention Management and Coordination Centre (CNCCI). Here I tried to ensure communication between actors of the civil society and the official authorities. In addition, I tried through ARCADIA to connect Romanian NGOs with International NGOs. We had the opportunity to learn from each other, discuss our responses, and to better tailor our interventions. I also supported missions coming to Romania which came to improve their individual responses to the humanitarian crisis.
Which were the most difficult moments?
In the beginning, everything was chaotic. Everyone wanted to help but no one knew how. Civil society did not have the information needed, especially in connection with the legal status of refugees. It is still a challenge; we feel a high pressure. We try to do the best we can and to support and protect people, but we also must support communication between the actors and ensure that our resources are not overlapping. That is quite challenging. I wish it were easier, especially since administrative factors are quite a burden. We need more flexibility to reallocate funds in case needed. More flexibility to change the focus of projects would be helpful as well. Sometimes we realise that some projects focus on a service that is surprisingly not needed. It would be great if there is an easier way to change this focus afterward.
Which were the most meaningful moments?
The most meaningful for me is that I can do what I believe in. I find purpose here in my tasks and work. Of course, you can say, ´We reached so many people and packed so many packages, but for me, that is not it. There are many people left alone and many people without support. We must go and reach out. It is helpful to talk to colleagues about issues and work together on solutions and to see that we improve.
Please tell us about your organisation and how it contributes to addressing the humanitarian crisis.
I work for two organisations now. Mercy Corps develops partnerships for the response to the Ukrainian crisis. We facilitate support through local organisations. We give sub-grants to local organisations and organise through food and non-food items, access to information and social services, and in some countries cash assistance.
The Civil Society Development Foundation, the other organisation I work for, disseminates correct information on the humanitarian crisis, refugees, and several complex areas within the field. It also offers grants for organisations supporting refugees.
What worked well regarding the (Romanian/regional) efforts to address the humanitarian crisis?
The biggest challenge was to address the situations at the border but, the big benefit we had in Romania and in Poland was that we had a system in place that reacted. We had structured collaboration with civil society and authorities. They did not have so much experience in humanitarian crises, but both NGOs and institutions had extensive experience within their fields, which helped. This enabled them to adapt, act, and have an impact. And on top, the authorities were eager to work with civil societies, and that made the response faster, better, and more efficient.
What could have worked better?
I would like better coordination with the first phase of the crisis. It was quite chaotic and more clarity at the level of UN coordination would have been helpful for us in Romania.
What are you focusing on in your work now?
I still work on the Crisis response. I facilitate partnerships and manage grants.
Any other thoughts and suggestions?
I am glad that we are going to develop the Knowledge Hub on the Ukrainian crisis with ARCADIA. It will help to share experiences from the field and gives a new space for debates. There are a lot of experiences to be exchanged. I see the good in the bad and this crisis opened the door for debates and exchanges on how to help and support refugees and act in humanitarian crises. In the end, it hopefully ensures better assistance to refugees in the future and prepares us better for the next situation in which we might find ourselves, whatever it might be.
Region: Central and Eastern Europe
Country/(ies): Ukraine, Romania
