heks

HEKS is providing interchurch aid in Transcarpathia under a mandate from the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK). The contacts between HEKS and the Hungarian Reformed Church in the Ukraine date back to the Communist era, during which the churches were oppressed by the regime and many pastors were imprisoned in labour camps for years.

Shortly after the fall of the Iron Curtain, a large Diaconal Centre was developed under the leadership of Béla Nagy, which has provided vital services in economically weak western Ukraine until the present day.  


Aims:

Children and young people in Transcarpathia have the opportunity to attend a holiday camp, where they receive spiritual input from Bible study alongside recreational activities. The diet of needy people is improving thanks to the soup kitchen run by the Diaconal Centre.

Activities:

The Diaconal Centre (DCO) in Beregovo has become a vital resource where people without means receive aid regardless of their religious convictions. The soup kitchen distributes hot meals to needy people every day, and three times a week it delivers dinners to the town centre in Beregovo, which are given to destitute elderly people. The centre has its own farm, which means that much of the fruit, vegetables and meat can be independently produced and provided at low cost. The bread is also baked in its own bakery.

As well as regular church activities, the Reformed Church of Transcarpathia organises youth camps, which are attended by up to 1000 children and young people every year.