Liudmyla and Anatolii have worked at Box Elyte since 2022 when, together with their daughter, they were forced to flee their homes due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Today on World Refugee Day, we share their story in this photo essay.
Liudmyla (left) and Anatolii (right) are a Ukrainian couple who sought safety in Romania following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They both secured a job at Box Elyte, a NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative enterprise, where they have worked for two years.
When the war started in February 2022, Liudmyla and Anatolii were living in Ukraine. One month after the invasion, Liudmyla left to seek safety in Romania with her adult daughter, Valeria. Shortly after, Anatolii joined his wife and daughter.
“My daughter has a friend in Romania. She offered us to stay with her as long as we wanted. So we left Ukraine to take some time to collect our thoughts and decide what to do next,” shares Liudmyla.
Fleeing Ukraine meant leaving their jobs and livelihoods behind. For Anatolii, a job of 34 years at an automobile manufacturing plant, and Liudmyla, her position as a clinic receptionist. “We aren’t used to not working,” shares Liudmyla. “We knew that if we came to Romania, we wanted to find a job.”
Shortly after leaving Ukraine, Liudmyla, Anatolii, and their daughter Valeria, were hired at NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative enterprise Box Elyte.
“My daughter found a job on an online platform. A week later, on March 22, 2022, we arrived in Timisoara and Box Elyte hired us both,” Liudmyla adds.
“I arrived a few weeks later and joined the Box Elyte team. We’ve been working here ever since,” adds Anatolii.
Liudmyla assembles a premium cardboard box to package chocolates and pastries. Box Elyte employees assemble small individual components to complete specific portions of each box. Box Elyte produces a wide range of boxes and packaging, making every day on the assembly line different. Photo credits: Cristian Tzecu
Box Elyte este o întreprindere care produce cutii de ciocolată și produse de patiserie din carton premium, ecologice.
"Pe această piață de nișă, producem volume mici [de cutii] care sunt adaptate la cerințele individuale ale clienților noștri, care sunt artizani ciocolatieri", spune Yves Pauwels, director general la Box Elyte.
Box Elyte oferă locuri de muncă demne grupurilor marginalizate la fabrica sa de producție din Fibiș și Moșnița, aproape de Timișoara, România, unde angajează migranți și refugiați din Ucraina și Asia, precum și femei locale din familii cu venituri reduse. În 2024, compania a oferit locuri de muncă de calitate pentru peste 100 de persoane marginalizate, dintre care 95% sunt femei.
“When the war broke out in Ukraine, we saw on television the call to send clothes as support. However, my initial concern was different. I realized that people would soon be fleeing their country. They would need places to stay and jobs to be financially independent. For me, the answer was clear, and we immediately began offering jobs to refugees,” adds Yves.
To reach Ukrainian job-seekers arriving in Romania, Box Elyte publishes its job opportunities on the jobs4ukr.com platform. Launched by Jobful, another enterprise in the NESsT Refugee Employment Initiative, jobs4ukr.com is the region’s largest employment platform for people affected by the war in Ukraine. It was through this platform that Liudmyla, Anatolii, and their daughter were able to connect with Box Elyte and secure employment at the company.
Anatolii prepares cardboard for the next stage of the box assembly line, where his wife Liudmyla works. His role is to streamline the box manufacturing process. He prepares and processes production materials and disposes of production leftovers. Photo credits: Cristian Tzecu
Ucraineana și româna aparțin unor familii lingvistice diferite, ceea ce face dificilă comunicarea pentru refugiați și alte persoane care nu vorbesc româna. Cu toate acestea, având în vedere natura repetitivă a producției de cutii, Box Elyte poate angaja refugiați și migranți care nu vorbesc limba română.
Pentru a sprijini refugiații și familiile acestora să se integreze în companie și în țara gazdă, Box Elyte oferă cursuri de limba engleză, pe lângă alte servicii complete, precum cazare și transport.
Anatolii shares, “Ideally, knowing the language would be great, but we don't feel isolated or have any issues. In situations where someone needs to understand specific details, they use a translator, gestures, or individual words. Learning the language is quite challenging – it requires studying and going to lessons. The young people here study and are actively engaged in learning it.”
Liudmyla (first from right) with her team lead and colleagues, who also left Ukraine to seek safety in Romania. Photo credits: Cristian Tzecu
It has been two years since Liudmyla and Anatolii first arrived in Romania and found employment together with their daughter at Box Elyte. When asked what they value most about their jobs, they share:
“Box Elyte is like a family. Sure, people come and go, but its foundation remains strong. Here, we work alongside a team of people we trust, which is essential,” says Anatolii.
“From the moment we arrived, we were struck by the hospitality. The people here are so kind-hearted, and they showed such empathy toward us. It was touching how warmly they welcomed us,” adds Liudmyla.
Box Elyte și Jobful sunt două întreprinderi din cadrul NESsT Inițiativa privind ocuparea forței de muncă în rândul refugiaților. Inițiativa oferă finanțare și asistență în afaceri unei cohorte de întreprinderi cu impact în Polonia și România, care oferă refugiaților sprijin pe termen lung pentru ocuparea forței de muncă, inclusiv formare profesională, oportunități de locuri de muncă de calitate și servicii suplimentare de însoțire. Inițiativa a fost lansată în 2022 în parteneriat cu IKEA Social Entrepreneurship și Cisco Foundation.