Meet Alexandra Dblanari - a Romanian psychologist working with Ukraininan refugee children

Alexandra is a psychologist working at the Iasi orphanage centre in Romania, supported by Children on the Edge. The centre houses and cares for over 40 Ukrainian refugee children and provides daily activities, social work and help with trauma recovery. Read her story...

When the Russian army invaded Ukraine last February, among the thousand and thousands of fleeing refugees, were 43 children from an orphanage that was bombed in the attacks. After a long train ride which the children described as ‘dirty, scary and dark’, and a bus journey where the children could hear explosions around them, they arrived in Romania. 

Experts describe the situation these children have faced as ‘triple trauma’. Having a background where they have lost their parents is compounded not only by the terror of fleeing a military attack, but the huge upset of arriving in an alien country, surrounded by strangers and not speaking the language. ​

LEARNING TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS

Alexandra is a psychologist working at the centre - supported by Children on the Edge - that houses and cares for these children, providing daily activities, social work and help with trauma recovery. “I definitely could see signs of PTSD in some of the children,” she explains. “Over time though they have developed trust. It takes a long while.”

Alexandra explains how the children were very withdrawn and closed to start with, but now they knock on her office door in the centre every day. They love to come in and talk about the ups and downs of their days at school, they always want hugs and they have learned about expressing their emotions. 
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The children have benefited from using picture cards to learn how to express their emotions

When asked about how the children have been encouraged to process their feelings, Alexandra explains how they have used a mixture of picture cards and play therapy for the younger ones, and then semi-structured or even informal interviews with the teenagers. ​

 “I worked with one boy, he was the first child I worked with, who was aggressive  all the time when he arrived. This meant he had problems at school. Over time and learning to express emotions, he has really started to improve. He has bad days but he has learned to express his emotions, and he is doing well at school. Another 11 year old boy told me that now, when he is angry, he just looks out of the window at the sun, the sky and nature, it’s a coping mechanism that works well for him.”

LEARNING AND ADAPTING

Alexandra explained that it hasn't just been psychological problems they have needed to work on but that, when children arrived, many were developmentally delayed in their speech and didn’t know the basics of hygiene or using the toilet. 

All of the children now have an age appropriate understanding of these areas, and have also become more interested in the daily activities on offer. They have enjoyed learning Romanian and like to try out the new words and phrases on the staff. ​

“Being in a new country is a huge adjustment for all of the children, and the Ukrainian staff that came with them as well. These women that accompanied them have their own trauma to deal with, most of their husbands are still in Ukraine, and they are scared.”

MAKING FRIENDS AND HAVING FUN

One thing Alexandra has noticed is that children’s relationships with each other have also improved greatly since their arrival. ​

“They love doing the activities together and especially taking trips out to the Community Hub” she explains. “One day last week we were at the centre for a mask making workshop and I saw such a lovely connection between them. They were all working together around the table, laughing and having fun.”

Alexandra at the mask making workshop (pictured in the spotty white top and glasses)

When asked about whether staff working with the children are trying to prepare them for a return home, Alexandra explained that instead, they are focusing on making them feel safe here in Romania.​

​“In the early months they were constantly given false hope about going home, so it meant they struggled to adjust. Their emotions would constantly be rocked up and down. Now they are more stable and connected. Some even want to stay, which says to me that they feel safe.”

As the conflict in Ukraine enters a second year, Children on the Edge are committed to helping the most marginalised refugees, like these children.
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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR WORK WITH UKRAINIAN REFUGEES >>