In Romania, Ukrainian children with special needs struggle
Providing and accessing therapy is increasingly challenging given a lack of funding, bureaucracy, and language barriers.
Bucharest, Romania - Ukrainian children with special needs are in a state of limbo across Europe, struggling to access vital education and therapy services.
Most refugee kids make do with online sessions with the specialists they used to work with back home in Ukraine.
“We cannot continue having kids studying in front of the screen one more year, after two years of COVID. That is part of the education, but it's not full education. They need to interact," Pablo Zapata, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Romania, told Al Jazeera.
Millions of Ukrainians have transited through Romania, seeking refuge in various European countries.
About 110,000 Ukrainian refugees are living in the Eastern European nation, of whom 47,000 are children.
Romania has been praised for providing humanitarian relief, but specialist services remain out of reach for many.
Faced with the urgency of the situation, the government of Romania, the UNHCR and local NGOs are coordinating to reach those on the margins.