Annual Report - 2019 - Ökumenikus Segélyszervezet

The annual report of our aid organization is an important element of the transparency of our operations and also provides an opportunity to look back on the previous year.

In our domestic social and development activities, 2019 simultaneously brought an increase in the number of centers providing a permanent presence and the diversity of services provided in each institution. The Wáberer House opening in Sátoraljaújhely, the Presence Points developing within the framework of the Catching-up Settlements Program, the new regional logistics centers or the Chance Camp handed over in Kastélyosdombó can all be decisive bastions of HIA’s work for those in need. Many of our institutions have also been able to develop or expand from grant sources or through our donors.

In addition to infrastructural development, community building is ongoing in almost every location: HIA-Hungary’s centers for families and children open up community spaces and offer long-term programs to give people in need a chance to catch up. Perhaps the most spectacular element of this is the continued expansion of the Catch up program, which gives thousands of children a chance to improve. We also placed great emphasis on doing our diversified work along uniform principles and thoughtfully. To this end, we placed great emphasis on internal trainings and further trainings based on conservative social policy values.

The HIA-Hungary’s aid programs in Iraq, Ukraine and Afghanistan have now received significant recognition on the international stage. In terms of significance, our involvement in Iraq continued in 2019, where we opened a new office in Baghdad and continued our ongoing reconstruction and development programs, which offer a real chance for families to thrive in the post-war location.

Unwavered confidence in HIA-Hungary can be felt in the fundraising campaigns in support of the Iraq and Transcarpathia, and in the regularly repeating Cloudless Childhood, Starting School Together and love.hunger. campaigns.

We also thank our diverse partnerships and donor community for providing an opportunity to help more every year.

Thank you!

National assistance – 2019

Helping families and children

Helping families in crisis: In 2019, a separate institution, the National Relief Centre, was also handling individual calls for help to our organization. The centre has been able to provide support in 18 000 cases this year, typically in kind, but tens of thousands of applicants have been informed of the forms of support they can receive within the public care system.

Developing children: In 2019, we have also put great emphasis on developing children in need and helping them catch up: more than 2,000 children are regularly participating in our development programmes. Our diverse development sessions (equestrian therapy, exercise therapy, experience programs, tutoring, creative sessions, special education and psychological services) and personalized development plans give you a chance of change. We have created a new camp place of our own in Kastélyosdombó, where in the first year we successfully organized several summer camps for children in need. We started the operation of a sure Start Children’s House in Boldogkőújfalu, we created a community point and a salt room in our centre in Csepel, we helped 1000 children start school years with school children across the country, we continued to develop children in the Gönci district – just a few of the priority projects from the ongoing activities of our 13 children’s centres. HIA-Hungary reached more than 7,000 children thanks to continuous institutional developments and the opening up of new institutions, as well as the 2019 European Union tenders, company partners and self-funded projects.

A way out of poverty: We already operate temporary homes for families who have lost their homes in 5 cities (Budapest, Kastélyosdombó, Miskolc, Orosháza, Szolnok). These institutions serve to keep families together and also help them move forward.

In 2019, our reintegration model program continued in Kastélyosdombó. Those who move into temporary homes for special families acquire agricultural and livestock skills, and after breaking out of the dependency of the state social care system, they can start their own new life in the life-changing houses provided by the HIA-Hungary. In addition to the social economy, the backyard plant and livestock, it has an herbal purchasing and drying centre, and in addition to cheese making, a special agricultural project offers income opportunities for families in need in the municipality of Somogy County and in the micro-region. This is the hops plantation created the previous year, which has restarted the production of the historically most important flavouring of beer in Hungary. With the initiative jointly implemented with Heineken, we are implementing a commercially sustainable programme that will also contribute to the livelihoods of disadvantaged families involved in cultivation.

The model program will be distributed in the temporary homes of several families in the country (Miskolc, Szolnok, Mosonmagyaróvár). Affected parents are able to participate in labor market development, children in individual and group development. The locations of the program will also continue in Vizsoly and Boldogkőújfalu, where activities based on this methodology have also appeared.

Assistance to the homeless

In 2019, our organization operated homeless help centers in 3 cities, Budapest, Debrecen and Gyula. In addition to the possibility of warming up, bathing and eating, our institutions provided more: personalized help and advice in administration, job search; opportunity to integrate into society. Our street and micro-regional outreach services regularly helped people seeking refuge not only on the streets, but also in the farm world, or even in tent-like shelters on the outskirts of the city. In 2019, 800 homeless people received some form of assistance service.

In addition to the nearly 300,000 servings of food distributed during our daily food distributions, we provided more than 10,000 servings of hot food to those in need at our extraordinary Advent food distribution.

Help for psychiatric patients and addicts

In 2019, the Relief Organization opened a new day care facility for passion patients in Sopron. Thus, our centers have already provided comprehensive assistance to psychiatric and addicted patients in 6 points of the country (Budapest, Debrecen, Eger, Kastélyosdombó, Szolnok and Sopron).

Opportunity creation is a rarely spotlighted but very important area when we help someone get rid of their addiction. In addition to corrective services, HIA-Hungary is placing increasing emphasis on preventive programs.

The Game with Borders! program continued, in the framework of which we draw the attention of young people to the dangers of gambling in a playful but meaningful way. In 2019, the program took a new turn: in addition to the 12 schools in the HIA-Hungary’s network, another 12 schools were added through tenders, so this year the prevention activity started in 24 schools, of which 1 was a high school and 23 were primary schools. The Game with Borders! program reached a total of 1,120 students. Our information points, established in 2017, continued to operate in 7 cities, with the primary purpose to provide information to those affected by gambling addiction. In 2019, the teacher and social training for the Game with Borders! program received accreditation from the Education Office and the Directorate-General for Social Child Protection.

Assistance to victims of abuse

In 2019, we continued to pay special attention to victims of partner violence. Our Sheltered House, which provides shelter for mothers and children fleeing violence, provided housing and protection to 67 families, and we also received parents and children fleeing abuse in the temporary homes of three families and in two crisis centers.

In 2019, our care system for victims of relationship violence was expanded with three more institutions. Thanks to European Union funding, two Secret Shelters have been set up and a crisis center has been set up. Thus, we are providing assistance with a total of 3 Crisis Centers, 2 Halfway Houses, 3 Secret Shelters, 1 Online Counseling Service and 4 Crisis Outpatient Services to help those affected by relationship violence. Our online counseling service continues to work: here, anyone can seek advice anonymously from our psychologist, lawyer and social worker.

Within the framework of our Catch Up Child Development Program, which operates in 13 locations across the country, we pay special attention to children affected by abuse, with special programs and camps helping them to process the traumas they have suffered.

We also place great emphasis on prevention and social awareness. In 2019, we launched a nationwide awareness campaign called Love Does Not Harm, addressing both the abused and those who, although not affected, face abuse in their environment.

Our international activities – 2019

In 2019, we provided assistance in several crisis areas: we opened another local office in Baghdad in Iraq, and in Eastern Ukraine we are now continuing our humanitarian programs together with the Hungary Helps Agency. Our humanitarian and development programs continued in Transcarpathia, Transylvania, Vojvodina and Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

In 2019, we signed an agreement with the UN World Food Program (WFP) Kabul Office to implement 3 projects. During the programs, 619 tons of food were distributed, we provided financial support to families in exchange for work, and we provided support and training programs to internally displaced women. The number of beneficiaries was more than 15,000 who participated in silkworm rearing, construction of drainage walls, irrigation canals, and flood defenses, household irrigation, and a backyard gardening program.

Albania

The earthquake that shook northwestern Albania at the end of November 2019 claimed 50 lives and injured more than 2,000. More than 900 families had to leave their homes, 3,800 residential buildings were damaged and 5,733 people became homeless. After Albania sought international help, we helped families (250 people) housed in St. Vlash Orthodox Monastery with cleaning supplies, medicines, mattresses, fuel and clothing, all of whose personal belongings remained in their collapsed homes. During the aid program, we cooperated with Diakónia Agapes and the Hungary Helps Agency.

Transylvania

In 2019, we also helped the orphaned children of Târgu Mureş and the residents of the local nursing home in Transylvania. At the start of school, we supported students in need, children from large families and orphans with a total of 200 school supplies, while at Advent we brought Christmas durable food and gift packages to the needy. The Christmas 4-ton donation provided children supported by the Lazarenum Foundation’s institutions for half a year: a 35-person orphanage, a 22-person orphanage and a 52-person nursing home for long-term food and cleaning supplies. This year, 43 children, helped by the Rainbow Foundation in Reghin, also received a Christmas present.

Iraq

In 2019, with the motto “assisting locally”, we focused primarily on Iraq internationally. HIA’s local office in Erbil opened in 2016 with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, expanded its activities in Iraq to support Christian families expelled from their homes and to help reduce the migration pressure to Europe. Our permanent on-site presence allowed for regular on-site monitoring of projects, constant participation in international coordination and intensive fundraising.

2019 was an important milestone in our work in Iraq. For other international aid organizations, we have revised our humanitarian strategy and put development programs at the forefront, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the first quarter of 2019, we received our final registration from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, and we also opened our permanent office in the capital, Baghdad. This office serves as a coordination center with the ministries, NGOs and embassies in the capital, including the Hungarian Embassy in Baghdad.

In Iraq, the restoration of destroyed infrastructure remains the main task, so our activities are primarily aimed at this.

Vojvodina, Serbia

In 2019, we also supported the beginning of the school year for schoolchildren in Serbia, this time the students of the Imre Kókai Primary School in Temerin received a total of 36 school packages. At Christmas, 47 needy Hungarian children and their families received a Christmas gift package and enough durable food and cleaning products for several months.

Social solidarity

In addition to providing ongoing information about HIA-Hungary and feedback to donors, in 2019 we announced three planned and several extraordinary fundraisers to support our work.

In addition to the Starting School Together! love.hunger. campaigns, the Cloudless Childhood program took place for the 5th time in May.

, families without Transcarpathians, internally displaced largest celebratory alliance in the country. In addition to the campaign, we announced the Cloudless Childhood fundraising and program series for the fifth time in May.

In addition to the planned collections, we launched an extraordinary social partnership for the benefit of the Indonesian tsunamipersons in northern Iraq, the fire in Notre Dame, and the father’s family at Ráday College in Budapest.

In June 2019, we announced a fundraiser in favor of our aid program to support persecuted Christians in Iraq. Our goal was to give families returning after the war a chance to thrive locally. The special feature of the campaign was a short animation film: the tale of János Lackfi, written on the basis of true stories, was brought to life by Ferenc Cakó, Károly Rékasi and Iván Kamarás. The characters in the tale are real-life war refugees in Iraq who have been given a chance to start again by our Aid Organization under the Qudra program. The nearly 10-minute sand animation film can be viewed free of charge at www.visszacsinalok.hu.

The autumn-winter period is exacerbating the situation of the already low-income families and the elderly in Transcarpathia, and more and more people are in need of our Aid Organization’s headquarters in Beregszász. Before the most difficult winter months for the needy, we started raising money on the 1353 donation line, which was accompanied by a large-scale community running event, the Beregszász Charity Half Marathon for the fifth time, where Dániel Gyurta, Olympic champion swimmer, stood for the good cause.

Volunteering

1394 volunteers supported our work for 4825 hours in 2019. Volunteering is one of the core values of our organization: in 2018, almost 1,000 volunteers helped us with our work, and hundreds of new volunteers applied to our aid organization. In 2018, the experts of our organization held lectures, classes and attitude-forming programs in educational institutions, or in summer camps and festivals. We took care of the training and preparation of the volunteers who came to us several times. In addition, we organized regular meetings to retain volunteers and increase their commitment.