Be Our Christmas Angel!

Project facts

Project promoter:
Association of Large Families in Mezőberény
Project Number:
HU05-0396
Target groups
People at risk of poverty,
Children
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€1,736
Final project cost:
€1,736
From EEA Grants:
€ 1,559
The project is carried out in:
Békés

More information

Description

According to the statistics of social institutes the poverty constantly grows in the settlement. As the winter is coming these people have not got enough food and proper clothes. Big families are in need, but disabled and Roma people are also concerned whose situation is more difficult as they need to face prejudices, too. The main object of the project is to raise attention to the importance of struggling poverty. The project aims to allocate more food, warmer clothes and games for them. It also aims to pay more attention, make donations and give help at least once a year. In order to involve volunteers to the project, to give donations and warm food, the project promoter will meet institutions and collaborating civil organizations. Raising awareness, publicity and fundraising will be ensured. A public fundraising event will be organized with a Christmas show. Then donations will be sorted and distributed to families according to a list of indigence made in the project. The target group includes about 1000 people: disadvantaged families especially with more children, Roma families who live in critical housing circumstances and disabled adults who need guardianship.

Summary of project results

According to the statistics of social institutes the poverty constantly grows in the settlement. As the winter comes, these people have not got enough food and proper clothes. Big families are in need, but disabled and Roma people are also concerned whose situation is more difficult as they need to face prejudices, too. The main objective of the project was to raise attention to the importance of struggling poverty, and to allocate more food, warmer clothes and games for such families in Mezőberény (town in the Eastern part of Hungary with just over 10.000 inhabitants). During the project implementation donation hotspots were established and operated by volunteers, who also helped with transporting the packages to the storage place. Publicity of this short-time action was ensured: several posters were spread (volunteers personally visited local institutions and handed over them), articles in the local newspaper and reports in the local television channel. The main, public event of the project was organized a few days before Christmas. Visitors could decorate the town’s Christmas tree together, Santa Claus listened the children’s wishes, and different cultural occasions made the program more remarkable. Many families cannot afford to have festive food thus it was important for the project promoter to make a traditional warm food from which 520 people could eat. Furthermore, -thankfully to the donations- these families got seasonal clothes, shoes and children also got games. The project promoter and its 7 collaborative partners (civic organizations, the local government and social institutions) contributed to community development of the inhabitants – the event had 30 volunteers, and many more supporters than before – and to the dislocation of people living in segregation.

Summary of bilateral results