Emergency Relief for the Crisis in Ukraine

Thanks to your generous support, we are continuing our relief efforts in Ukraine and Hungary. 

Máriapócs village in eastern Hungary, near the border with Ukraine, we have been supporting a refugee accommodation with food and daily necessities. As a major change in June, the number of people staying at the facility decreased all at once from 30 to 15, half of the total.

Refugees who take refuge in Hungary often move to the west side of Europe, and the number of refugees staying at the facility changes frequently. The reasons for moving to the west include the fact that there are many countries where they can receive generous assistance. We have been providing support to this facility since March of last year, and only a few refugees have stayed there since the beginning of the project.

So the fact that the number of people has been cut in half was something I took as a normal occurrence, but what surprised me was that these 15 people were a family. When I asked them for more details, they told me that they were a grandmother, her children, and her grandchildren, three generations living in  refugee accommodation. While I was concerned that it would be difficult for 15 people to move around, I was relieved that the family was staying together, as many refugees live far away from each other.

There are also refugees who return to Ukraine for family, work, or other reasons. When we asked a mother and child who returned to Ukraine from this facility in the spring how they are doing these days in a message, they told us that they are happy to be reunited with their families for the first time in over a year, despite their concerns about air raids and other problems. I felt that the circumstances and wishes of refugees vary, that there is no right answer to where and how they should live, and that each person has his or her own life choices.

On the other hand, the number of refugees can increase. At this facility, the number increased from a dozen to 30 in March. At that time, the change in the war situation seemed to be a factor. As such, the number of people staying at the facility increases and decreases every month, so when procuring relief supplies, we ask for the latest information at that time before considering what to buy and how much to buy.

Refugees at the facility spend peaceful moments smiling, making video calls with family members living in Ukraine and other countries and reading books. Even so, one can imagine that the feelings that refugees are carrying deep in their hearts are not peaceful. I can only hope that all of them, no matter where or how they are moving or staying in Ukraine, will have a good day.

Links:

• Latest report of Uganda project
• Latest report of South Sudanese refugees
• Terra Renaissance's homepage; facebook