Mária and her family - Bodaszőlő

How does one fight family in need the starting schoolWe tried to find an answer to this question in one of the poorest parts of Bodaszőlő, the Lorántffy vineyard. Moving from the center of Bodaszőlő towards the vineyard, the environment became more and more oppressive. The crumbling fences, dusty, narrow roads and crumbling houses are a shocking sight. Here, on the edge of the forest, Mária lives in a small house with her family, who told us honestly about how they try to solve the burden of starting school.

Mária and her husband raise six children, five of whom are of school age. The head of the family works in the nearby factory for minimum wage, as do most of the men in Bodaszőlő. There are few job opportunities in the small village, so they are grateful that the father managed to find a job. After paying the monthly bills, only HUF 50,000 remains in the coffers of the family of eight. From this amount, they have to manage, finance food and other incurred costs.

Starting school is getting harder every year

Mária bitterly told me that August is one of the most difficult periods for them. That's why she sets aside a small amount every month at the beginning of the summer given the circumstances, whatever they can buy for the children for school.

The mother tries to buy the necessary equipment for starting school, such as the hygiene package or notebooks, but the income does not cover a pen holder and a bag.

The children were extremely well-behaved, they did not complain, even though the school year starts in a few days and they still had no school bags. They were a bit tight-lipped, but they were happy to tell us about how they were preparing for the start of school.

 10-year-old Ramóna showed where she used to study: "There are six of us in one room. We don't have a desk, we usually sit outside on the porch and do our homework there." –  For me, this was the saddest moment of the visit. The little girl thought it was completely natural that it was ideal to prepare for lessons under such conditions.

Little Ramóna dreams of becoming a pediatrician, and for this we can give her the necessary encouragement, even in the form of school supplies.

In addition to the purchase of school supplies, getting dressed is also a pivotal point for starting school. This is also a serious challenge for the family, they are mostly able to provide clothes from donations. The mother doesn't even remember the last time they bought clothes, it was so long ago.

The situation of the needy family is hopeless, according to Mária, only the our partner organization its leader, Krisztián Lakatos, is the one they can rely on.

Near Debrecen many families lives in a similarly difficult situation. You can also do for the needy families her children start the new school year with the right tools!

Join our school supplies collection campaign, where with your online donation or with your volunteer work you can contribute to ensuring that these children also get a chance to realize their dreams.