The six educational centres for Ukrainian refugee children run by diocesan Caritas agencies in Romania had to close down on July 1st. The announcement was made by Caritas Romania Confederation yesterday. According to a release from the institution that brings together all Caritas agencies of the dioceses and eparchies of the Church in Romania, for three years 822 Ukrainian pre-school and school-age children benefited from the educational programmes provided by teachers and psychologists from Ukraine and Romania in the Caritas centres of Bucharest, Iași, Baia Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea and Satu Mare. “We closed down our centres because we had no financial resources – Marius Cocuţ-Forminte, director of Caritas Bucharest, explained to SIR –. A nursery school used to be run in all our centres. In Bucharest, we also had a speech therapist for Ukrainian children. We closed down such services, but we keep assisting Ukrainian refugees in a different way: we help them integrate into Romanian society, children are helped to attend Romanian schools, and that’s why Romanian language classes and the afterschool programme will keep on running in Bucharest. Then, adults are helped to find work, learn Rumanian, and we give them food aid every week. In addition, we assist those who want to go back home, in safe areas”. Other programmes in support of refugee families will keep on running in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Oradea.