site.btaNew Wave of Refugees from Ukraine Arrives in Plovdiv

In the past week, there has been a new wave of refugees arriving from Ukraine, and the situation is linked to the flooding in Kherson, and the shelling in Odessa, Kryvyi Rih and other cities, Natalia Ellis, chairwoman of the Ukraine Support and Renovation Foundation, told journalists in Plovdiv on Tuesday. Her foundation runs the temporary refugee centre Second Home for Ukrainians fleeing the war in Plovdiv. She took part in an inter-agency meeting in Plovdiv Municipality between representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bulgaria and a number of organizations, including the Bulgarian Red Cross, Caritas, the Access to Rights Foundation, and the Stoyna Krastanova Foundation.

According to Ellis, there is an increasing flow of children and mothers who are currently being accommodated at the seaside, where adults can quickly find jobs and the children can rest. She added that after the end of the tourist season, the refugees will head inland. Plovdiv is a large industrial and historical region, a cultural centre, and has jobs for all kinds of people with different professions, Ellis said. She noted that the Second Home centre has rooms available and it can accommodate the new arrivals. We are continuing renovations to have more spaces for people arriving for accommodation and support during their first few months while they look for jobs, daycare, and schools for their children, she said.

Stefan Stoyanov, Deputy Mayor of Plovdiv for Education, Business Development and European Policies, said that according to several data sources, about 10,000 refugees from Ukraine live in Plovdiv Region, and due to better organisation and cheaper living, there is a new trend for families to arrive from Central and Western Europe.

At the end of May, Plovdiv Municipality signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the UNHCR in Bulgaria in which part of the objectives are to expand support for refugees from Ukraine, deepen opportunities for cooperation and facilitate coordination between institutions.