CRGP Field Reports
The following is a field report conducted by the administration team of the Convocation Refugee Grant Program. The CRGP Team travels to the project sites around Europe at least once a year to check in on project status, support the local project managers and coordinators, listen to any potential concerns or issues, and celebrate the successes.
If you would like more information on starting or finding funding for a local refugee and migrant support project, please contact our team at welcomegrant@episcopaleurope.org.
The Ukrainian Space Employment Program is a project that focuses on building a sustainable future for Ukrainian refugees in Budapest. While it originally focused on children and youth navigating the Hungarian education system, the program has expanded to address the critical needs of adults, particularly mothers who are working to rebuild their lives while many fathers remain in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Space Employment Program works in partnership with St. Margaret’s Anglican Church.
Ukrainian Space supports refugees by identifying their professional skills, providing legal support and translation services, and assisting with official paperwork. They are currently working to develop a Ukrainian-language library for adults. A lecture series on Ukrainian-Hungarian cultural and ethnographic ties helps refugees see Hungary as a temporary home while fostering belonging and cultural continuity.
Fedir Shandor, the Ukrainian ambassador to Hungary, visited the center and expressed his strong support for the project. Nevertheless, the program faces significant funding challenges since UNHCR supported ended, and St. Margaret’s continues to seek new partnerships and community-based funding sources.
Direct Beneficiaries (March-September 2024)
- Employed one Ukrainian directly; assisted 5 additional Ukrainians to find employment within their field of expertise
- Conduct four summer camps aimed at greater cultural integration for 70 Ukrainian youth
- Provide services for 197 Ukrainian households. Services included: translation, language classes, craft workshops, education and cultural events, distribution of UNHCR hygiene kits and care packages to wounded Ukrainian soldiers in Hungarian hospitals
While Hungary’s overall refugee policies are some of the most restrictive within the EU, the government generously hosts Ukrainian refugees who are granted automatic work rights under the EU Temporary Protection Directive.
Children participate in a master class presented by the Ukrainian Space Agency at St. Margaret’s.
(left to right) The Honorable Fedir Shandor Ukrainian Ambassador to Hungary, Vladimir Pukis, The Reverend John Wilson, Giulia Bonoldi, Socorro Heepe
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