On Wednesday 23rd March, 2022 UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom talks to children at Moldexpo centre in Chișinău, Moldova. Mr Bloom was here to meet refugee children fleeing the war in Ukraine. Photo: © UNICEF /Tremeau
Orlando Bloom is using his platform to highlight the refugee crisis that continues to unfold as more and more people flee Ukraine.
The Hollywood star and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is currently in Moldova with the humanitarian organisation where he’s meeting mums and children escaping the war at UNICEF-supported “Blue Dot” spaces:
“The Blue Dots set up by UNICEF on the borders are a vital first stop for mothers desperately looking for some respite, and a safe place for children to play,” he says.
UNICEF together with UNHCR have set up three “Blue Dots” in Moldova on key refugee routes. The one-stop safe spaces provide essential services and information to travelling families, help to identify unaccompanied and separated children and ensure their protection from exploitation.
In a post on Instagram, Orlando shared photos documenting his experience including one of him hugging two kids:
View this post on Instagram
“Since the start of the war in Ukraine, a child has become a refugee almost every single second,” he writes.
“I’m in Moldova with UNICEF meeting families who were forced to leave everything behind in search of safety.”
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According to UNICEF, one month of war in Ukraine has led to the displacement of 4.3 million children – that’s more than half of the country’s estimated 7.5 million child population.
“The war has caused one of the fastest large-scale displacements of children since World War II,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This is a grim milestone that could have lasting consequences for generations to come. Children’s safety, wellbeing and access to essential services are all under threat from non-stop violence.”
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In a separate post, Orlando shared the story of meeting a mother and her three children who fled Ukraine last night after their neighbour’s house was bombed.
“They don’t know where they will go next, but Mum just wants her children to be safe.”
He adds that “thousands of families still cross the border to Moldova every day” and praises UNICEF for providing safety and essentials for all those seeking protection.
View this post on Instagram
Orlando was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2009 and regularly uses his platform to highlight issues affecting children around the world.
In 2019, he visited Mozambique to highlight the needs of children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth. In 2017, he travelled to Niger to draw attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, where Boko Haram violence displaced hundreds of thousands of children. He has also travelled with UNICEF to Bangladesh, Jordan and Liberia.
(Feature Image Credit: © UNICEF/Tremeau)