A delegation of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid donated more than two million forints worth of non-perishable food to the residents of the Good Samaritan Reformed Children's Home in Nagydobrony (Velyka Dobron, Transcarpathia, Ukraine). The special feature of the products sent to Transcarpathia is that they were prepared by the residents of the most disadvantaged villagesin Hungary included in the Catching-Up Settlements programme.
Since 2019, the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid (HRCA) has been participating in the Catching-up Settlements programme, which aims to support the people living in the three hundred most disadvantaged settlements. As a first step in the programme, the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid staff will set up a diagnosis of the settlements in order to provide assistance to local residents in the areas where they need it most.
“We are currently serving thirty-four locations in the Catching-up Settlements programme. We are also trying to set up our own factories to help local employment and market access for producers, and we are also producing our own brand products with local producers. Our future goal is to seize every opportunity to bring these products to the widest possible audience, generating income for communities to sustain themselves," said Gábor Nagy, Deputy Executive Director of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid, outlining the economic development efforts of the programme.
In several settlements, the processing of local fruits and vegetables began, from which the foundation donated honey, jam, preserves, juices, and dry pasta worth more than two million forints to the residents of the Good Samaritan Reformed Children's Home in Nagydobrony. The donations send an important message not only to the children of Transcarpathia but also to the producers of the products, who have shown that despite their difficult situation, they are able to do good, to help, and to donate from what they have created.
During the handover of the products, Viktória Katona, Deputy Executive Director of HRCA and Pastor for Ministries Beyond the Borders of Hungary, recalled the areas where the organization has been able to provide assistance in Transcarpathia since the outbreak of the war. “Over the past two years, we have helped Transcarpathia with tons of dry food, hygiene kits, medical equipment, shelters, elderly care and summer camps for young people. These not only brought the children together, but also served an evangelizing role, as renewal and strengthening of faith is particularly important in times of hopelessness. Today we have brought various products of our own to the children's home in Nagydobrony, and in the future we will support the renovation of three rooms worth four million forints, so that more children can be welcomed," the pastor said.
The main mission of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid is to provide hope and support to those in need throughout the Carpathian Basin. In recent years, the HRCA has launched a number of social and economic development programmes to provide long-term assistance to those in difficult financial circumstances, supporting their livelihoods and reducing social exclusion.