The Former State Fostered Children’s Association (Hungary)

Former State Fostered Children’s Association is a not for-profit organisation for public utilisation. Its base is in Tiszadob and the office can be found in Nyíregyháza. There are 10 staff. The Association deals with former currently state fostered children countrywide. The association is involved with all orphanages in Hungary and have a close cooperation with them all. Their aim is to protect and represent the needs and aspirations of their target group and to help the former orphans’ integration into mainstream society. The Association helps the local government of Gypsy minority in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, and the Roma civil organisations as well. The Association held a conference in Nyíregyháza on 4th June 2008. The title was: “Have the former state fostered youth prepared for the self-supporting life?” This conference was implemented in cooperation with the Regional Child Protection Centre of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county

For former state fostered people, the transition from the children’s home into the real world and to begin a self-supporting lifestyle is always a big struggle. Many become homeless and have a hard time finding jobs and so they are significantly disadvantaged in life compared to those who come from a solid family background. In many case these underprivileged people’s children will also grow up in state care as did their parents.

The Association organises “advising forums” and in their office is continually open for them. Staff try to help those in need of help to solve their problems, through counseling, advice and guidance as well as to help them find job. The association monitors calls for funding in order to apply for funds to deliver and expand their services to:

•          develop and enhance the association’s functions

•          to organise programmes of support

•          to organise educational and teaching programmes

•          to organize health, hygienic programmes

As a result of successful bids they have organised several programmes and courses for Roma people for them to achieve the 8th level class school diploma, evening grammar school, life style – debt handling- and job finding support. For this project the Association will work with

•          The Roma Minority Self Governments of the region,

•          Desegregation Foundation,

•          Roma Polgárjogi Mozgalom,

•          ATUS organization

For former state fostered children, the transition from the children’s home into the real world and to become self-supporting is always difficult, but for the children of Roma even more so. The chances are the children of those from state fostered care will also grow up in state care as their parents did. The association is now working so that the generation now growing up will bring up their children in another way. Roma people want to work, bring up their children honestly but it needs time and support. Continuous work is needed to enable this to happen, the greatest need being to address the high levels of discrimination, prejudice and xenophobia which will be undertaken in this project.