From the onset of the war in Ukraine, the Hungarian Unitarian Church and its charity organization Gondviselés (in English: Providence) have responded to the needs of refugees and those internally displaced. This is the fall 2022 update.
On September 26, 2022, the sixth aid shipment of the Hungarian Unitarian Church and its charity arm the Gondviselés/Providence Charity Organization arrived in Berehove, western Ukraine: non-perishable food items, raincoats, rubber boots, and table salt. In addition, ICUUW board member Gizella Nagy and Providence president Rev. László Szabó visited a refugee shelter and a nursing home operated by the Transcarpathian Reformed Church in Berehove.
A second purpose of the visit was to buy Ukrainian textbooks for the 20 Ukrainian refugee children in the elementary class operated by Providence in Kolozsvár/Cluj. Providence is stepping up to provide an important need for these 6-7 year-olds: they will learn to read and write in Ukrainian Cyrillic, in accordance with the national curriculum of Ukraine. Ensuring Ukrainian children keep learning is critical to their ability to learn, thrive, and begin to recover and heal. It will also help them integrate seamlessly into the Ukrainian school system once the war is over.
Please see a brief video of Providence's latest relief effort here:
Since March 2022, Providence has delivered six (6) aid shipments to Transcarpathia (western Ukraine), for a total amount of 61,000 USD. An additional five (5) shipments - mainly consisting of medicines and medical supplies - have been sent to southern Ukraine (hospitals in Odesa and Mykolaiv), in the amount of 42,000 USD. By September 26, the total amount raised for Ukraine relief — funds coming from ICUUW, UUA, and other donors from Romania and abroad — has surpassed $200,000. ICUUW has provided about half of these funds through Faithify crowd funding and share-the-plate contributions.
Thank you to all our kindhearted donors!