Refugees Supporting Refugees: Mykola, Romania

Many of the hundreds of HIAS staff around the world were once refugees themselves. In our new series Refugees Supporting Refugees, we tell these colleagues’ stories. Read earlier articles in this series here.

As a manager at a large restaurant in his hometown of Odesa, Ukraine, Mykola Koltun thought his life was stable. He supervised a team of almost 200 employees and worked hard. In his spare time, he volunteered for charities that supported children living with disabilities.

But in 2022, everything suddenly changed with the arrival of full-scale war in Ukraine. When the conflict reached Odesa, Koltun’s family left their lives behind and crossed into neighboring Romania for safety. After arriving in Bucharest, Koltun worried about the challenges of integrating into a completely different culture. However, his family slowly found their way.

“Romania is a country that wasn’t used to receiving refugees, and so there wasn’t much support for integration here,” Koltun said. “Despite the challenges, help from local organizations and the warm welcome from the Romanian people made the transition easier.”

Starting out as a volunteer, Koltun helped other refugees in shelters. Today, he works as the economic inclusion and community engagement coordinator for HIAS Romania. He spends his time supporting other refugees who arrive in the country and that face the same difficulties that his family once experienced.

As a community outreach specialist, Koltun’s main area of expertise is connecting Ukrainian refugees in Romania with services such as language classes, skills training programs, medical support, and financial assistance. He also helps provide training workshops on skills to improve refugees’ financial situation.

“I want to be as useful as I can for my community,” he said. “It’s my way of making a contribution even though I’m not in Ukraine.”

These contributions have already been significant. After finally persuading a Ukrainian refugee to seek medical attention, the man received a much-needed operation. An older woman whom Koltun helped find a job still comes in every month to thank him.

Koltun takes it all in stride. “Tomorrow it will be another story,” he said.

Despite being 350 miles away from his previous life and unable to return, Koltun finds joy in many things. He loves to travel with his family, particularly to explore villages in the mountains. But most importantly, his work gives him a sense of purpose.

“Seeing people regain their dignity, become self-sufficient, and integrate successfully into their new communities thanks to the support they receive with HIAS brings me immense satisfaction,” he said.