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HUNGARY HELPS AGENCY FORMED

 

The Prime Minister’s Office has set up the Hungary Helps Agency to coordinate projects within the Hungary Helps programme and ensure their transparency and efficacy, Tristan Azbej, the state secretary responsible for aid to persecuted Christians, said. Hungary Helps is aimed at aiding Christian communities experiencing persecution and was set up in 2017. The scheme has disbursed aid of 8 billion forints (EUR 25m) to 35,000 Christians making a living in their homelands, fostering projects in five Middle Eastern and two sub-Saharan countries, Azbej said. One highlighted project is the 580 million forint reconstruction of 900 buildings in Tel Askuf, an Iraqi town which has since seen 1,000 of its 1,300 families return to their homes, he said. Hungary Helps concluded a cooperation agreement with USAID, the US development agency, in 2018, and is on the lookout for European partners as well, he said.