Former businessman and BBC show producer Chris Lomas is the founder of a charity organization from the Republic of Moldova, which has been fighting poverty, human trafficking and the consequences of conflicts in this country for three years. A HotNews.ro correspondent made a video report at the Lomas Foundation and talked to the people he helps.

Chris Lomas was born in Portsmouth, UK. The man was a gymnastics coach, and then a business consultant for several companies.

Three years ago, his life took a significant turn when he moved to the Republic of Moldova. Together with his wife Zoe, originally from Romania, a teacher of French and Spanish, he founded the charity organization “Hope4”, dedicated to the fight against the consequences of poverty, human trafficking, the consequences of conflicts and natural disasters.

Lomas believes in the power of sports to inspire young people, which is why his organization sponsored numerous sports events in Moldova and Ukraine. Currently, he helps not only low-income families from the Republic of Moldova, but also supports refugees from Ukraine who have found refuge in this country.

I visited the organization’s office in Chisinau, where a warehouse is now open with food products and other things needed by Ukrainians, many of whom have been away from home for almost two years.

Why did he choose Moldova?

“My wife is Romanian. She grew up in Iasi and came to the Republic of Moldova as a translator for several years. He loved this country. I am a businessman, I have never seen my life in the humanitarian field. However, my wife was marked by the needs of the people of Moldova. Six years ago, she asked me what I thought about the possibility of living in Moldova,” says Chris Lomas.

Using his business contacts around the world, Lomas, together with the Hope4 team, is trying to change the lives of tens of thousands of Moldovan families and, over the course of two years, many Ukrainian refugees.

Special attention is paid to children, and the organization tries to provide those who cannot afford it with winter clothes. “It often happens that in a difficult situation, such as the war in Ukraine, the little ones are forgotten,” says the Briton.

And a short career in television helped Lomas build this network of contacts, which he now uses in his philanthropic work.

“I appeared on the BBC television station, in a show called ‘Dragons’ Den, Shark Tank.’ There was a room with entrepreneurs and investors. I was on Dragons’ Den with my own product in 2007. They didn’t like my idea, but they liked me. And this is important, because the individual does everything. “My experience on television, in Dragon’s Den, brought me into the public space,” says Lomas.

Chris Lomas wants Hope4 to be recognized as one of the biggest charities in the world because of its impact, changing the way charity works and bringing people and businesses together.

“We ask them a simple question: what do you need?. With the support of my business community, we bought everything for them: refrigerators, microwave ovens, washing machines,” says the businessman.

Lomas says that while Hope 4 provides food and clothing, the main goal is to create conditions for people to organize their lives without depending on assistance.

“Teach a man to fish” is the principle of the organization, says Chris. In particular, refugees can get advice on finding a job in the Republic of Moldova or sending their children to school.

Lomas is helped by Olena, also a refugee from Ukraine, who decided to stay with her children in Moldova forever. “I came to Moldova with my children on the first day after the start of the war. We crossed the border on foot and stayed with a family that welcomed us here. At first we stayed for a few days and then decided to stay forever. My children study here, I work and help Ukrainians who are also in Moldova,” says Olena.

Although many people are getting “accustomed” to the war in the neighboring country, Lomas notes that the problems of the refugees have not disappeared, although the state of the Republic of Moldova allocates monthly payments and other types of support for the citizens of Ukraine.

More than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees are in Moldova, a country of 3 million people.

“People often ask me if I think the refugee situation is getting better or worse. I believe that the situation is getting more complicated because many agencies are leaving Moldova because they no longer have a budget,” says Lomas.

“We arrived from Odesa on August 6. We live here in Chisinau. In principle, it is very convenient for us. We moved because our house was damaged on July 26 and we left there. We are very grateful for the help we receive here,” said a woman who came to Moldova with two children.

“The prices for apartments are simply unreal. In general, the assistance provided to us is enough,” said another refugee.

Chris Lomas claims that he finally became convinced of the necessity of his mission as part of “Hope 4” after the war in Ukraine began.

“I was in the center of rocket fire. It was important to me what people in Ukraine were going through. To be honest, I understood that I wanted to dedicate my life to this goal, because there are extraordinary women and men in Ukraine who are fighting for freedom. And what I can do is dedicate myself to improving their situation,” Lomas said.

Charity organization “Hope4” is constantly looking for new connections to start other charitable projects.