The mural painting "Sisters for Peace" was inaugurated in July in Cahul city, being produced with support of UNDP and Switzerland, offered as part of the “Migration and local development" project.

The painting was done by the artist Radu Dumbravă, who has more than 10 years’ experience and an international portfolio of works.

“This painting holds a special place in my heart and career. Local people followed the process, trying to guess what the final drawing would look like and I noticed how their faces lit up when they realized what it was. In all times and situations, beauty opens a door to another world that offers strength and inspiration to continue. This thought was at the basis of this drawing, and I hope that I managed to create a gateway to a temporary escape where people find hope and strength," Radu Dumbravă said. Radu was joined by several young people who helped him with the drawing.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Moldovan people, as well as national and local authorities, have taken steps to support refugees and shed more light on the ongoing challenges.

The Cahul region hosts over 1400 refugees in 15 temporary shelters. As part of the “EU4Moldova Focal Regions" Programme, implemented by UNDP and UNICEF, more than 20,000 euros were provided to Cahul communities to strengthen the capacity of local authorities to respond to the emerging needs of refugees.

"Peace, love and respect for those around you are essential for every human being. We must use all channels, especially the visual one, to promote these values," said the mayor of Cahul, Nicolae Dandiș.

A mural painting that features the same topic of inclusion will be developed soon in Straseni city, another partner community of UNDP.

UNDP has been capitalizing on the existing local networks such as the established Hometown Associations to support the localization of the national campaign "My community for peace". This included supporting crowdfunding campaigns to collect money and donations ($250,000 mobilized in 29 communities), engaging young people in conducting networking and socializing activities for refugees, to make them feel part of the host communities and build social cohesion.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, UNDP and its partners - the EU, Switzerland, Sweden and the United Kingdom - have allocated more than $1.27 million to partially cover the immediate needs of refugees and host communities, and to support the socio-economic inclusion and development of people fleeing the war, by promoting employment opportunities and expanding access to public services.