When the war in Ukraine disrupted lives and futures, hundreds of students from across the world, including India, were left in limbo. Among them were aspiring doctors—students who had invested years in their education and were suddenly facing uncertainty about their academic future.
For Grigore Hincu, Charter President of Chișinău Viliumas Lions Club, this was not a distant headline. It was a call to action. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, he initiated a project to ensure continuity of education for these students.
Working through 2023 and 2024, Grigore coordinated with the Republic of Moldova’s educational authorities and embassies in Dubai and Delhi to facilitate entry visas, transfer documentation, and financial assistance for Indian medical students from Ukrainian universities. This enabled them to continue their studies at the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Moldova.
The scale of the effort was significant. Over two academic years, all 121 students who were in their second through fifth years of study transferred from their Ukrainian universities to the Moldovan institution without losing academic credits. These future doctors can now complete their studies and return to India with the qualifications they originally set out to earn.
Grigore’s leadership in this initiative reflects a lifetime of dedicated service. A Lion since 2003, he has been recognized with numerous honours, including the Medal of Merit (G452M), Gold Centennial and Diamond Centennial Lion Awards (2017 and 2019, respectively), and most notably, the Order of Work Glory, one of Moldova’s highest civilian awards, conferred by the President of the Republic of Moldova for his outstanding contributions to society.
For Grigore however the true reward lies elsewhere—in the smiles of students who can now fulfill their purpose, and in the knowledge that when the world closed its doors, Lions opened one.