#standwithukraine

Week #1

Our first week in Budapest covered a combination of informational meetings, key introductions, and crucial coordination with refugee relief organizations.

We found that by hitting the ground running and being open to opportunities, our mission here became crystal clear - and no amount of kindness is too small. Decency redux.

To date, we have raised over $24,000 in cash donations and have allocated a portion of the funds to the following two organizations:

Migration Aid (more info in English on FaceBook) - We visited the Budapest Olympic Center (BOK) - a stadium turned transit hall, where Ukrainian refugees are able to connect with a variety of aid organizations and plan their next steps. They are offered food and drink, medical care, a children's play corner and information about housing and further travel options. There are several NGOs with representatives helping refugees who are arriving to Budapest. We quickly identified Migration Aid as one of the best on the ground aid organizations and drove to the hostel that houses up to 260 refugees who are in transit and stay on average 3 nights before moving to their next destination. They have over 1,000 volunteers serving as translators, cleaning staff, drivers, travel coordinators, childcare and medical staff. The refugee community is made up of mostly women and children. This is currently one of the only in transit housing options available to Ukrainian refugees.
We met with the program director for volunteers and the head of the children's program to discuss how best we could help. For the next six days, we worked 6 hour shifts, cleaning rooms, changing bedding, mopping floors, and preparing the rooms for the next round of guests. We also spent time with the children, playing games, drawing, teaching English, while giving their mothers some well deserved time off. In addition, we prepared, wrapped and delivered 300 sandwiches in under three hours, providing breakfast and lunch for the refugees. We determined that with the funds raised in cash donations, we could support the facility and improve both the hostel operations and the daily lives of the refugees. We were able to make bulk purchases at Tesco, which included cleaning items, hygiene products, and basic food supplies . In addition, we are buying four washer/dryer sets for the hostel. Currently, Migration Aid sends out laundry in bulk at a steep cost, and is at the mercy of the laundry service for return items. These machines will give the hostel flexibility and help reduce operating costs.
In Gyõr, a town 75 miles West of Budapest, there is a long term facility that has a 60 person capacity which is self sustainable, based in a hostel that Migration Aid is renting at $15,000/month. As many Hungarians travel to Austria for employment opportunities, there are local factory and construction jobs that can be filled by the Ukrainians living at the hostel. There is a possibility of creating a more substantial, longer term housing scenario for refugees opting to remain in Hungary, and we are committed to facilitating this project. For donations, please click here (nb: This PayPal is processed in Hungarian Forints. HUF 35,000 = approximately US$100)
Hungarian Academy of the Sciences - Through the foundation our father established in 1987 supporting post doctorate research work from his alma mater, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, we have fostered strong ties with the talented educators that were granted scholarships over the years. Among them is HAS Secretary General Kollar who shared information about the Academy's work with their counterparts at the Ukrainian Academy. They have established a fund to assist fellow scientists and scholars and their families looking to escape Ukraine. We are committing funds to support this effort. For further information and opportunities to help, please click here.
We also connected with many organizations operating throughout the city, among them Budapest Bike Mafia, Food Bank for Refugees Budapest, MKKP, and Hungarian Helsinki Committee.
Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (in collaboration with the Hungarian American Coalition) - To date, we have raised over $17,000 for the HHRF which will be directed to local relief efforts here in Hungary. In addition to supporting a local school, working with helping orphaned children and efforts at various border villages, they are exploring longer term challenges that need to be met, both here in Hungary for those wishing to stay and for the refugees looking to return home when it is safe. It so happens that the director Zsolt Szekeres is very close to our parents' friends in New Canaan, and has spent many visits with them when in Connecticut.

We have only just begun to help the Ukrainian refugees. We have contacts to follow up with in Week #2, so please stay tuned.
The overwhelming and generous response we have received - and continue to on a daily basis - from donors like you has strengthened our conviction to soldier on.

More to follow, but before we sign off, we would like to say:

🇭🇺Nagyon szépen köszönöm🇭🇺

💪🇺🇦❣️

Marianne & Lisa

...please let's not forget to #standwithukraine...