The volunteer students of the University of Debrecen have been serving at the Biharkeresztes border for more than two months. So far, the police have been assisted in interpreting the work six hundred times, making it easier for refugees arriving at the border to carry out immigration procedures.
The University of Debrecen has been helping those in need in Hungary since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The institution provides dormitory accommodation, organizes fundraisers for refugees, and provides assistance directly to the border through volunteer students.
At the invitation of the Humanitarian Coordination Committee, set up in mid-March, some half a hundred university students have so far volunteered at the Biharkeresest border post.
The University of Debrecen continues to help and support those in need from Ukraine. We are proud of our students who set an example to their peers, all of us, with their social responsibility. They do all this by having several of them directly or indirectly involved in the war conflict,
– Károly Pető, Deputy Rector of the University of Debrecen, told hirek.unideb.hu.
The Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking students served an 8-hour service every day from 7 a.m., 4 p.m., and 11 p.m. and assisted refugees with immigration registration.
By 31 May, university students had assisted the police in interpreting almost 600 times, making it easier for refugees arriving at the border to carry out immigration procedures. The car transporting the students to Biharkeresztes has covered more than 35,000 kilometers since March,
– said Béla Szilárd from the Center for Mental Hygiene and Equal Opportunities at the University of Debrecen, which organizes and coordinates the voluntary program.
The Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen provides scholarships for volunteer students, among other things.
– In recent months, the Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen has supported young helpers with more than HUF 6 million and has also announced a one-time extraordinary social scholarship application for 354 students with Ukrainian citizenship. 257 students applied for the support, and the amount paid was HUF 20 million 560 thousand. Each applicant received a one-time extraordinary social scholarship of HUF 80,000, added István Csont, chairman of the Student Government of the University of Debrecen, who also said that the Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen provided the volunteers with a sweater with a university logo in March and a university t-shirt in May.
As a first step in the days following the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the institution made a total of about 300 dormitory places available for those fleeing to Hungary.
There are currently a total of 70 refugee students, mostly scholarship holders, in DE colleges. So far, a total of 288 distressed people have used the space we offer. Most were here 1 month ago, their numbers approaching 130 at the time. A significant proportion of the refugees who come to us plan to stay in our dormitories for the long term. Occasionally, we also provide temporary accommodation for refugee families for a few nights at the request of the local government of the city of Debrecen and the county disaster management
– informed Imre Csiszár, head of the University Dormitory Directorate.
The Student Self-Government of the University of Debrecen was one of the first student municipalities to raise funds among university citizens. The collection points were filled in two to three days. Nearly 8.5 tons of donations have been collected for those fleeing the war conflict at the four campuses in Debrecen, Szolnok, Nyíregyháza, and Hajdúböszörmény. The student government is still waiting for offers at the four campuses in Debrecen, Szolnok, Nyíregyháza, and Hajdúböszörmény.
hirek.unideb.hu
