Zoltán Balog, minister of Human Resources, presented several awards on 11 November, the Day of Social Work. The heads of the RCH's Homeless Ministry and Refugee Ministry as well as the Mohács-Kölked congregation social home and its director were among the recipients.
"The day of Social Work is a celebration of chance," said Zoltán Balog, "it draws attention to the fact that this work builds a society, and draws attention to those who work for the downtrodden." The awards were given by the minister of Human Resources and Miklós Soltész, the under-secretary responsible for Social and Family Affairs, at the ceremony in Budapest to those active in the social sector, including several Reformed people:
- Gábor Markus, the leader of the Homeless Ministry of the RCH's Mission Center, was awarded the Social Work Award for his outstanding work for social professions.
- Dóra Kanizsai-Nagy, the leader of the Refugee Ministry of the Reformed Mission Center, won the Equality Prize for her outstanding work promoting equality within the framework of her work with refugees.
- György Kolutácz, the head of the Kálmán Pándy Social Home of the RCH Mohács-Kölked congregation, won the Pro-Caritate Award. The institution was awarded the Ministerial Diploma of Merit for the responsible and exemplary work of employees in assisting those with disabilities.
Zoltán Balog stressed: On one hand we recognize those whose "lifework is service," and on the other hand these awards are intended to shape public opinion. The aim is to increase the prestige and esteem of those helping professions without which no society can exist. He added that: the job of social workers is to shake up the world from indifference, changing the belief that "there is no way out of difficult situations." He added: This is the profession that cannot be interrupted after eight to ten hours a day. "The fate of people entrusted to social workers. However, this is the profession which is very good when you're doing a lot and it gets back to you."
Source: EMMI-MTI
The Homeless Ministry is one part of a network of service providers that work to provide shelter to the 1,500 homeless people that come to them for assistance. Despite the number of people coming to the Ministry, it can only accommodate 25 people during the spring and 42 in the winter in addition to the 80 people that can be taken in daily at its daytime shelter. The Homeless Ministry continues its service through the hard work of 10 employees and 25 volunteers.
The Refugee Ministry strives to integrate refugees into Hungarian culture through its education, housing and nanny programs. Recognized refugees have, according to the country's legislation, equal rights and responsibilities as Hungarian citizens (aside from voting for the president), and through different activities the Refugee Ministry strives to make it possible for them to have access to these rights and overcome the gaps in the system. More recently the Ministry's newly opened community center has become the center of activities. Anyone interested in joining the Refugee Ministry in reaching out, either with donations or by volunteering can contact the Ministry directly: