We evacuate civilians from dangerous regions in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan and bring them to safety in Moldova, Austria and Germany.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 marked a dramatic escalation of an eight-year conflict that had largely been confined to the eastern part of the country. This triggered a massive humanitarian crisis, forcing millions to leave Ukraine and seek refuge in Europe and the United States. By the end of 2022, approximately 7.9 million people had fled Ukraine and sought protection in Europe.
On March 4, 2022, Be an Angel, arrived in Moldova with a team of three people, marking a new chapter for our organization. The operations began with chartered buses to evacuate refugees from southern Ukraine to Moldova and then bring them onwards to Germany.
Due to years of working with various government agencies in Germany, Be an Angel was equipped to bring Ukrainian refugees to Germany and, in collaboration with local state authorities, ensure their registration upon arrival, provide accommodation, and ensure timely medical care in emergencies. The elimination of the Königstein-Key (a regulation for the distribution of financial contributions among federal states) presented significant challenges for the team. The nationwide, centralized management of the Federal Office for Migration (BamF) left the reporting of reception capacities to individual state authorities, forcing the Be an Angel team to inquire about each state’s capacity individually to ensure proper reception.
In Ukraine, a Be an Angel network was established in the following months, with headquarters in Odesa and Chişinău, Moldova.
A system was implemented to collaborate with the regional administration of Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, cities that were besieged and heavily bombarded. During the bus evacuations, the Be an Angel team traveled along the front line, beyond Kharkiv, up to 40 kilometers from the Russian Federation border to evacuate people. The evacuations were often extreme, often experiencing missile attacks nearby.
The buses were chartered in Chișinău, driven into Ukraine, and used to evacuate civilians. The passengers were accommodated in emergency shelters in Moldova before departing for Germany. In Germany, a local team coordinated housing and accommodation for the people. Every refugee received individual care, essential medical treatments, and a dedicated contact person, especially during the first days after arrival. Many Ukrainians had never been abroad and did not speak any foreign language. We typically evacuate elderly people and women with children, often traumatized. Three teams in three countries coordinated activities seven days a week, up to twelve hours a day. The most intense group evacuation involved around 260 people, who were gathered in the capital of Moldova from southern Ukraine and, after a short recovery period, continued their journey to three different German cities in four buses.
Since March 4, 2022, our team, confirmed by the crisis management team of the Moldovan government, has evacuated 23,500 civilians from front-line regions and brought them to safety in the European Union and the United States.
For our efforts to provide not only humane transport but also the best possible accommodation and support upon arrival, we have been honored and recognized by the German government, the Odessa City Council, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the National Congress of Ukrainians in Moldova. Be an Angel has voluntarily committed to working according to the principles of the UNHCR.
Furthermore, we proactively cooperate with the crisis management teams in Germany and Moldova to ensure appropriate transport conditions and the safety of the evacuees. Our participation in regular action meetings is a testament to our commitment to the safety and well-being of those affected by crises in the region.
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