Local services
To mark World Refugee Day, 20th of June, the programme of the partner organisations of UNICEF in Debrecen presented their activities and organised a family day for the people living in the Dorkász Center.
A UNICEF representative also attended the event.
At the event, Ábel Lukács Kiss, Director of the Dorkász Foundation (Dorkász Szolgálat Alapítvány), said that the aim of this programme is to make people feel happy that Debrecen has been able to provide a home for refugee families in this difficult situation and that they are safe in Hungary.
He also underlined the importance of the so-called ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) in their activities in the centre, which means that the focus is not on providing aid but on helping their beneficiaries discover their resources and abilities. With this positive approach, they focus on solutions rather than problems. This is how they help refugee families here, and in this process, work, nursery, school and Christian values play a key role. Their aim is to make a long-term positive difference in the lives of their beneficiaries through positive role models. Currently, 39 families – 200 refugees in total, including nearly 100 children – are being cared for in the centre. Ábel Lukács Kiss thanked UNICEF for its support and the cooperation and assistance of partner organisations.
Diána Széles, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, said that the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been going on for almost a year and a half, has created a new situation for all, and Debrecen’s social and health care system has had to adapt to the care of refugees. With UNICEF’s help, the city is able to implement an international programme to help refugees to integrate into society. With fewer refugees arriving than in the past, attention can be paid to their socialisation so that they can return to their countries of origin with new skills, hopefully as soon as the fighting is over. Refugees who are now living in Debrecen can feel safe, but for those living in the war zone, everyday life is filled with fear.
Diána Széles stressed the need to strengthen the quest for peace as much as possible and as widely as possible. On the occasion of the first anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Debrecen’s assembly will vote on joining the parliamentary resolution calling for peace at its next meeting. The deputy mayor hoped that his fellow politicians would all support the resolution to join the peace process.
Aurélia Orosz, head of the Family and Child Welfare Centre of Debrecen, said that cooperation between social and charitable organisations in Debrecen is good, but this programme gave them an opportunity to maintain daily contact, which is irreplaceable. In order to help refugee families, they need to work together very closely, based on trust, and pay more attention to each other. The head of the institution also stressed the importance of working together to ensure that children’s rights are respected.
Evelin Kovács, Programme Coordinator of the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion (Daefi), reported that the health of children and adults living in the centre is constantly monitored: cardiovascular risk screening, eye examination, hearing screening, ECG examination, lung screening. Health promotion programmes – both physical and mental health – have also been conducted. Two specialists are helping to provide health care at the centre, and the first medical container has just arrived with the support of UNICEF, which will soon be able to provide the necessary conditions for care on-site.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
