Refugee camp throws surprise birthday party for a 7-year-old girl from Ukraine

A refugee camp threw a surprise birthday party for a 7-year-old girl from Ukraine. In an emotional video, the refugees and Romanian officials could be seen singing "Happy Birthday" to Arina, serving her cake and giving her small gifts. More than a million people have been forced to leave Ukraine after Russia attacked the country. The video of Arina's surprise birthday party has gone viral after it was posted on Facebook, garnering more than 17,000 views. Wars can be incredibly cruel on kids and leave a damaging impact on their adult life as well. One person who understands this and recognized the importance of providing a semblance of normalcy to Arina's life was a psychologist working at the camp, reported TODAY.

Codruța, one of the volunteer psychologists of ISU Suceava, a local emergency situations service, found out Arina's birthday was on March 3 during a conversation with her mother. Codruța decided to surprise Arina, and shared the information with his social group and within no time they mobilized people including local authorities to celebrate her birthday. They arranged for a cake, balloons and other presents. They even got a special pink hat for Arina to wear. 

With Arina's mother's permission, they dressed her well and asked her to bring her to the exit of the tent where a crowd of guests surprised the 7-year-old and sang "Happy Birthday." The girl's mother got very emotional and hugged those who organized the party for her daughter. Tears were streaming down her face, noted the post. Arina's face lit up and she thanked everyone profusely. "At least for a few moments, Arina was happy to be the center of attention," the post caption read. "We hope that among her memories of this complicated period, she will receive this moment when she was smiling, and we, in our souls."

ISU Suceava also pointed out the importance of the work done by psychologists at the camp. “The work of the volunteer psychologists of ISU Suceava, in the Mobile Camp at the Siret City Stadium, is an essential one,” read the post. “They are involved in their noble mission, both professionally and emotionally. Try(ing) to drive away the suffering of those fallen here by empathizing with them and giving them all the support they need.” 

More than 2 million refugees are believed to have fled Ukraine in the wake of the invasion by Russia, reports the U.N. Refugee Agency. More than 85,000 people have crossed the border over to Romania. Refugees primarily include women and children, as Ukraine's President Zelenskyy imposed martial law, which requires men between the ages 18 and 60 to stay back and help fight the war. The EU asked all 27 member nations to grant asylum to all Ukrainians for up to three years.

Over a million children have fled Ukraine, according to UNICEF. Most have fled with their families to Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania. “The number of children on the move is staggering, an indication of how desperate the situation for children and families in Ukraine has become,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Afshan Khan. “Children are leaving everything they know behind in search of safety. This is heart-breaking. We’re doing everything we can to help the children and families in need but the war must end. Peace is the only sustainable solution,” said Khan. Ukraine said it was trying to open evacuation corridors in several regions, according to the country's Minister of Reintegration Iryna Vereshchuk. Some of planned routes include Mariupol-Zaporizhzhia, Volnovakha-Pokrovsk, Polohy-Zaporizhzhia, Enerhodar-Zaporizhzhia, and Izium-Lozova.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a developing story, and we’ll update as we learn more. Information is swiftly changing and Upworthy is committed to providing the most recent and verified updates in our articles and reportage. However, considering the frequency in developments, some of the information/data in this article may have changed since the time of publication.