Semi-annual report of 2010

Perhaps you are already traveling or planning to start your vacation soon. Or you are spending the summer at home, taking short trips near home, swimming or gardening.
We would like to inform you about the latest news of our activity, outreaches and projects, and on the situation in Transcarpathia.

Conditions at Site

Viktor Yanukovich is the new president of Ukraine. According to western conventional wisdom, he is described as ″pro-Russian”. Indeed a lot has changed since he took office. For example at the May Day festivities, Soviet-era symbols had a ″renaissance”, many memorials were observed for the victory over Hitler’s Germany, and children had to take part in school events of that sort. But on the other hand, churches now no longer pay the steeper industrial rate for energy, but rather the significantly lower prices charged to private households. That is resulting especially in a noticeable reduction of costs for soup kitchens, the bakery of the deanery or the orphanages.
Even the parliamentary elections in Hungary are important for the people in Transcarpathia, since the Hungarian government supports the minority population in neighboring Ukraine in many ways, for instance, in education and culture.
It is interesting that in both new governments no women are represented. While the ″feminine image” of the Hungarian governing party has been roundly criticized by western journalists, this situation was hardly mentioned in Kiev. So much for the topic of ″objective news reporting” in our media.

News about our staff

On 12 March 2010 the bishop of the Reformed Church of Transcarpathia, Sándor Zán Fábián was recognized for his achievements for the Hungarian minority and the Reformed Church in Transcarpathia with the Officer’s Cross of the Distinguished Order of the Republic of Hungary. He is the second recipient of this high recogniition to come from the area of present-day Ukraine. We give him our sincere congratulations.

Bishop Sándor Zán Fábián (center) during the recognition ceremony Officer’s Cross of the Distinguished Order of the Republic of Hungary (left)

Pastor Péter Szeghljánik and some volunteers from his parish were giving emergency help in the past few weeks in the aftermath of the floods in northern Hungary.

Relief convoys

In the first half of the year we were able to dispatch three relief transports of different dimensions into Transcarpathia. Goods sent included tableware, lamps and various household articles for the Ombodi family in Nagybereg (see ″Projects and Support Activities” below for more about this).

During our visit in May we were once again spoken to about the shipment of adult diapers from last year. It became especially clear to us how much that helps the people affected, when we learned that a package of adult diapers costs the equivalent of $22, and individual diapers can be bought for about 80 cents. This is in comparison to the average pension which amounts to about $75-100 per month.

Special Exhibitions and Presentations of our Work

Opening day of the exhibition with Evi Lemberger (left) and Mayor Volker Bachmann (center) Mylau Reichenbach Ensemble Inc.

An exhibition with the title ″A non-place: the fairy tale of the Galoshes of Fortune,” was held in the Lengenfeld City Hall at the end of April and included unusual pictures made by Evi Lemberger. It was a small selection of about 1500 photos taken in 2009 during her four-week trip through Transcarpathia, together with a unique interpretation of that region. The exhibition in Lengenfeld showed the pictures in their totality for the first time in Germany. Evi Lemberger traveled from England specifically to take part in the opening ceremony with the mayor enhanced by musical entertainment by the Dörfel family.

Only a few days ago there was a benefit concert by the Mylau-Reichenbach Ensemble to raise funds for our project ″Josef” on the open-air stage in Lengenfeld City Park. The summer weather was beautiful, and the numerous people in attendance enjoyed a really entertaining program, soaked up the sun on the benches or delighted in the wonderful view of the city from the shade of the trees while eating sausage and drinking beverages, benefiting our good cause and of course donating directly to the project.

Presentations about the work of the Transcarpathia Benefit Society were made within the context of the ″Market of Possibilities” as a feature of the state conference of the Saxon Community and European Association at the beginning of May in Zwickau’s city hall, and on the first weekend in June at the ″Proschwitz Park Festival”. Princess Alexandra of Lippe once again enabled us to put up an information stand at one of of the functions held at Proschwitz Castle. We felt very comfortable and welcome again in the nearly familiar atmosphere there.

Princess Alexandra of Lippe and TBS Chairman Christian Ehrler Proschwitzer Park Festival

Looking ahead we would like to give advance notice of another event. In early December in the Lengenfeld church there will be an advent concert with Gunther Emmerlich. We will give details about it at the proper time.

Projects and support activities

József has by now become a regular schoolboy and has successfully completed his first year of class. As his parents have reported, his fellow students are very helpful and always ready whenever József needs support. As does any other pupil, he has his strengths and weaknesses, sometimes likes school and sometimes not, he is usually friendly, but sometimes the teacher has to yell at him. His last treatment in Truskavec was at the end of April. In mid-August he will be there again. The positive extent to which the doctors evaluate his treatment thus far is shown, for example, by his recent ″great performance″ in a promotional film of the clinic for potential new patients from Kuwait.
His parents are happy over the progress József is making and very grateful for the financing of his treatment, which would be impossible without our help. Donations for his further treatment are requested to be sent to our bank account under the key-word: Josef.

József training for running A glance into his notebook

In December I reported to you about little Anna Balogh and her quite different handicap. At that time a possibility came about for therapy in Ungvár/Užhorod. That meant however that her father would have to drive to the regional capital in their ancient family car, made by Lada, twice a week, which was 90 km one-way. This involved an enormous ordeal for the handicapped little girl. Since then a good solution has come about for this as well. The deanery has made a room available for the treatment, and the therapist now comes twice a week to Beregszász/Berehovo. For Anna and now three additional children with various handicaps between the ages of 3 and 11, there is now only a short trip and less struggle. The travel costs for the therapist and the treatment are financed by us.

The younger Ombodi couple, TBS chairman Chrisitan Ehrler, Bishop Sándor Zán Fábian, and the elder Ombodi couple (from left to right) Building stones to be reused in the remains ofthe ruined house

On 27 January 2010 the Ombodi family in Nagybereg lost their house and everything they owned in a gas explosion and the fire which followed. We sent out a call for donations at that time and asked for your support. We are delighted, that on our visit in May, thanks to many contributions, we were able to give a sizable amount toward the reconstruction of the destroyed house. In a discussion with the younger Ombodi family, the local pastor, Bishop Sándor Zán and ourselves, it was agreed that the administration of the money and the verification of expenses would be handled through the local pastor.

Furthermore a person was named to head up the rebuilding, someone who had already been involved in the project and who went about getting the permits. Under his guidance the progress in rebuilding is to be accelerated and deadlines for individual segments of the construction are to be met. At the time of our visit the ruined structure had not yet been completely leveled. All materials still usable for the reconstruction, especially various kinds of bricks, have been stored in a separate area.
Since then the old house has been torn down completely, the foundation for the new house has been prepared, different building materials have been purchased and the new building has commenced.

At the request of the Pastor Sándor Zán, the cantor and the teacher in charge at the music school in Vári, we took part in the costs for the purchase of a saxophone for 15-year-old Dániel Kiss. Dániel finished his studies recently at the music school and would like to study saxophone in Ungvár/Užhorod starting this fall. He is considered very gifted, and from an initial tryout in the district capital it is hoped that he will pass the remaining entrance examination. He needs a saxophone of his own for this. Until now he has used an instrument belonging to the music school, which by the way was also acquired from donations by the Transcarpathia Benefit Society. But based on its condition, this would not be suitable to enable a higher level of study.

Dániel was confirmed on Ascension Day, and we attended the ritual. That afternoon, just a few hours after the special service, we visited Dániel at home to have a look at the new instrument and listen to a few samples of his ability. Confirmation in Transcarpathia is also treated as a celebration involving the whole family. As we have learned, families celebrate according to their financial means—some on a large scale and poor families on a smaller one. Dániel’s confirmation was not celebrated at all, because the family is poorer than poor. He was wearing a simple jogging suit and asked us to come in. Of course he showed us his instrument and played a few pieces. The whole situation left us shaken and greatly moved. We promised Dániel and his family that we would take part in the cost of his studies. If you would like to contribute to the financing of Dániel Kiss’s studies, then please send funds using the key-word: Daniel.

For today we send our sincere best wishes from Lengenfeld and hope you have a nice summer and vacation time and a good period of rest. May God’s blessings be with you!