Index – Hungary – Antónia Mészáros: We are preparing for the biggest refugee crisis of the last hundred years

I understand the bomb hits are not just a kindergarten, school and orphanage in Ukraine, the homeland of nearly seven and a half million children. One of the most well – known child protection organizations in the world, which is also active in Hungary, is UNICEF and he reckons that the present armed conflict now it threatens all seven and a half million children in Ukraine. Even those who have left the borders of the country with their parents and relatives, as they also experience, among other things, the painful trauma of breaking away from their usual home.

Ukrainian children are currently in an extremely poor, shocked, traumatized state. In some parts of the country, reliable electricity supply has been cut off, in others there is no gas or clean drinking water. So for children living in Ukraine – as of course for adults they now need extremely intensive support. Both humanitarianly and mentally, he told the Index Antónia Mészárosthe domestic leader of UNICEF, who was overtaken by the Index during his hard work.

On Friday morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán spoke about the On Kossuth Radiothat children fleeing Ukraine need a school. How many children have come to Hungary from Ukraine so far and can they still stay in the country?

According to the latest figures from the UN Human Rights Council, more than a million fled Ukraine in the first week of the war. More than half a million people came to Poland, the second largest number of refugees, and more than 144,000 people came to Hungary. UNICEF estimates that they are 60 to 70 percent children, as, as we know, men between the ages of 18 and 60 cannot leave Ukraine. Unfortunately unaccompanied children they are also on their way. Their identification and assistance is a priority for UNICEF.

Does Dad take the kids to the border and send them over, trusting they are already safe on the other side?

Yes, we no longer encountered such a story, as it did when an unexpected situation arose during the escape and the child accidentally broke away from his family.

How are they identified?

UNICEF operates a so-called blue dot network in several countries. We are preparing for this in Hungary as well. Child protection facilities should be envisaged, where refugee families can access information, rest along the way, and be dealt with by psychologists and social workers. These blue dots also include mobile teams that travel around the area looking for, trying to identify unaccompanied children.

At home, several people have taken in refugee Ukrainian families and children into their homes in recent days. How many children are expected to arrive?

Refugees from Ukraine currently typically travel through Hungary and then move on to relatives and friends living in Western Europe. Thus, for the time being, they will have to be accommodated for a maximum of a few nights. But as time goes on, we expect increasingly poorer, more vulnerable groups to emerge who are no longer sure where to go. I really hope that by then it will be built in Hungary as well UNICEF Support Network. We are preparing for a protracted refugee crisis, even the biggest refugee crisis in Europe in the last hundred years, with the departure of four to five million Ukrainians.

If the coronavirus had not been enough, an epidemic of polio in Ukraine broke out in December 2021. Are the masses of sick children preparing to come to Hungary?

There is no question of masses of sick children. However, it is also a fact that the problem has hit the head in recent months, so UNICEF also plans to vaccinate at the border. In addition, in the case of polio, the vaccine does not involve a puncture, but a drop should be given to the children. While we are also paying close attention to the danger of measles.

In this case, how and by what means can a non-governmental organization help the state?

We now help mainly in Ukraine, where we have 140 employees in five offices. We did not start yesterday, he has been present in Ukraine for 25 years and serves in Ukraine. Now, for example, we are transporting drinking water by truck to areas where people do not have access to clean water due to the collapse of infrastructure. In addition, we provide, for example, first aid kits, medical aids and medicines, and our staff deals with with the psychological support of families also, which is also in great demand in the current crisis.

Some aid organizations collect clothes, durable food, and basically material donations. Others are asking for money to support those fleeing Ukraine. What do you think is the most effective way to help now?

The most effective way to help is through financial support. An organization like UNICEF has a well-established, professional logistics system that can deliver relief supplies to the right place. However, receiving benefits in kind would be more of an additional logistical challenge at the moment. Incidentally, UNICEF estimates that more than $ 275 million will be needed for assistance in Ukraine and an additional $ 75 million for UNICEF-operated assistance programs in neighboring countries.