20 June is World Refugee Day. Today, more than 120 million people live as refugees or internally displaced persons around the world: they are not numbers, but faces, names, lives and stories. At the Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees in Budapest, our staff meet people every day who have been forced to leave everything behind and start their lives over again because of war. We provide them with support in the form of accommodation, food, psychological assistance and long-term integration programmes.
Marek on his first day in Budapest, April 2022. He studies the city he will now call home from the window of the temporary accommodation provided by Hungarian Interchurch Aid. While the family now lives in their own flat, Marek struggled to adapt to the many changes. A strong, energetic boy, he found release and calm through judo. Sport helped him find community and adjust to the school system more easily.
4-year-old Bogdan plays in the garden of the community shelter in Budapest, where he and his family found temporary accommodation. Many refugees struggle to find their place in the new environment and often feel lost in the host country. Hungarian Interchurch Aid aims to provide points of stability to hold onto for those seeking to establish a more secure future for themselves.
Katerina in the community shelter she calls home – the Ventura Hotel, in Budapest, August 2024. She arrived in Hungary with her daughter after the outbreak of the war, leaving everything behind. She not only had to give up her home and career, her family was also torn apart—her husband had to stay behind in Ukraine. As a mother raising her child alone, finding employment is her greatest challenge. Her primary goal is to ensure her daughter can grow up safely, in good health, accessing good education.
The Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees turns one: The staff and the community that formed around the Centre celebrated the occasion together. For people torn from their homes and social network, the feeling of belonging is especially important. That’s why cultural and community events continue to draw strong interest.
Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s community shelter in the Ventura Hotel, Budapest. Families can stay in one of the 20 available rooms for up to four months. Adapting remains one of the biggest challenges faced by refugees in their new life away from the war in Ukraine
Mother’s Day celebration at the Community Space linked to the Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees. For mothers who arrived without their partners, securing childcare for their kindergarten-aged children during working hours is key to finding employment. Here, Ukrainian-speaking pedagogues work with children who have endured the trauma of fleeing, providing continuity during a time of upheaval.
Bogdan in the family’s new—but only temporary—home: the community shelter in Lemberg street supported by Hungarian Interchurch Aid. Children are particularly sensitive to constant change, which can undermine their sense of security. Without proper support, the trauma of prolonged uncertainty can have lasting consequences.
Children learning programming at a session of the “Geek Academy” in October 2023. Established by Hungarian Interchurch Aid in June 2022, the Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees functions not only as a point of assistance and information, but also as a vibrant community hub. “Geek Academy” adapts a tried and proven educational programme for Hungarian children into a new context, offering refugee youth both practical skills and a hopeful outlook.
Anastasia and Elena at Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s community shelter in Budapest. The two young women arrived together from Ukraine after the outbreak of war. During their stay, they received not only accommodation but regular food and hygiene packages. Through the support, they were able to save money and regain stability step by step – and today, they live in their own flat and are both employed.
Football was Dima’s life—he was on the brink of signing a professional contract. After escaping besieged Mariupol, he lost his team and all contact with his teammates. Upon arriving in Hungary, he thought his career was over. But through Hungarian Interchurch Aid, he got the chance to continue pursuing his dream with the youth team of Fehérvár FC.
First Christmas in a new country—at Hungarian Interchurch Aid’s community shelter in Csepel. Since the outbreak of the war, the organization has provided accommodation for 2,784 people in various shelters and currently houses 50 individuals under supported conditions.
Exhausted refugee family after days of travel at the refugee transit hub in Budapest’s BOK Hall, March 2022. This was their first stop after Ukraine and the first place where they were able to get information about their nearest future: where they would sleep, what they would eat, and what could come next. After official registration, aid organizations—including Hungarian Interchurch Aid—offered accommodation, food, healthcare, a children’s corner, and travel assistance tailored to each family’s needs.
A refugee mother with her child at the BOK Hall in March 2022. To respond to the waves of refugees during the first year of the crisis, six humanitarian organizations—including Hungarian Interchurch Aid—worked together at this reception and transit hub. Of the 2 million refugees who passed through Hungary, only a small percentage stayed; most continued their journey from the transit station.
Valentyna became a refugee in her retirement years. Upon arriving in Hungary, she found temporary shelter through Hungarian Interchurch Aid. She had planned to spend her remaining years in Dnipro, the city where she had lived her whole life. But due to constant attacks in Eastern Ukraine, she now must build a new life in unfamiliarity.
Anna and her 5-year-old son, Marek. They just managed to escape the war zone, but the question of “what comes next” still hangs over them like a sword of Damocles. Hungarian Interchurch Aid has supported the family from day one, helping them step by step as they rebuild their life in Hungary. Today, they see their future in Budapest and remain active members of the community that has formed around the Support Centre for Ukrainian Refugees.
