HUNGARIAN INTERCHURCH AID

Profile:
The Hungarian Interchurch Aid was founded in 1991, has become one of the most acknowledged and biggest aid organisation of high public utility. Among the founders there are mainly the historic protestant churches of Hungary. The aim of the organisation is to provide humanitarian assistance to those suffering from natural catastrophes or social and economical crises, to examine their background, and to offer and deliver quick assistance regardless of gender, nationality or religion.

Activities:
The organisation is present in the major humanitarian disasters of Central and Eastern-Europe as well as in Central-Asia. There are registered offices operating in North-Afghanistan, North-Caucasus, Usbegistan, Ukraine-Transcarpathia, in the territory of Sanjak in Serbia-Montenegro. Besides, through its inland network HIA participates in relieving social matters in Hungary. The organisation - in Hungary exclusively - signed a co-operative agreement in 2003 with the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office - a body responsible for humanitarian aid provision, which makes a quick interference possible in case of need. At present, the number of their activists is over 25 thousand.

International relations:
The organisation is a member of numerous international alliances, so among others ever since the 1995 foundation of the Geneva-based ACT-International (Action by Churches Together), which is the world organisation of the European and cross-Atlantic protestant and orthodox churches and aid organisations. This is the second biggest world network, after the International Red Cross. It aims to provide help to those suffered a humanitarian disaster in any place of the world. The organisation is also a member of two Brussels based corporations, the APRODEV (Association of World Council of Churches related Development Organisations in Europe), which is the association of church-related development organisations in Europe, respectively the EURODIACONIA.

Region: Hungary, flood-stricken areas of Eastern and Central Europe, Afghanistan, North-Caucasus, Serbia-Montenegro, Ukraine, Russia, Former-Yugoslavia, Poland, Iraq, Usbegistan-Central-Asia.
(As donors: Rwanda, Kosovo, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, Former-Yugoslavia, Macedonia, India)
Offices registered abroad: Ukraine, Russia, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan

Number of staff:
The number of staff is close to one hundred, and for occasions is able to mobilise several hundred volunteers.

Contact:
László Lehel director
e-mail: hia@interchurch.hu
H-1116 Budapest, Tomaj utca 4.
T.: +36 1 208-3957; F.: +36 1 208-4934
www.hia.hu