“It was when a rocket landed not far from my mother that we decided it was time to leave Ukraine”

“It was when a rocket landed a couple of metres from my mother that we decided it was time to leave Ukraine,” recalls Svetlana.

The family had spent the previous four months trapped in their apartment before Svetlana fled from eastern Ukraine to Budapest, Hungary.

“After the sirens wailed, we rushed to a nearby shelter, I will never forget the sight when looking back, right before entering.  Buildings were being blown up metres from us, there was chaos all over, and everyone was screaming,” says Nikita.

He explains how hard it is to accept that they no longer have a family home to return to.  Following the explosion of the Kakhovka dam, their house was completely flooded, and their school destroyed. 

Svetlana has been committed to rebuilding some semblance of normalcy for her family in their new home. After arriving in Hungary, she had taken any job she could find to keep her family afloat. Initially working as a housekeeper, then in a factory. She later became project manager for a civil society organization.  She now works as a babysitter, which enables her to also care for her own children and a mother who lives with a disability. 

In addition to eyesight problems, Nikita also has high blood pressure, while Caroline has a heart condition contributing to unexpected medical bills. 

To help ease the increasing financial burden, Svetlana and her family have received help from the “Budapest Helps! cash programme”, supported by UNICEF and run by the Municipality of Budapest and the Metropolitan Foundation of Social Policy. Initially planned as an emergency payment to refugees arriving to Budapest, additional cash payments have supported the evolving needs of refugee households including for children during the winter and at school time. The cash programme has also linked children and their families with subnational service providers through a municipal referral system. Nikita and Carolina have been able to access specialized medical support, while accompanied by an interpreter making it easier to follow the doctors’ advice. 

In the last year Svetlana and her family have become much more stable. They have secured longer term accommodation and Svetlana is relieved that her children are safe and free to be children. 

“The aim of the programme is to give ownership to families in addressing their children’s needs the best way they see fit”, says Pilar Gonzalez Rams, UNICEF Emergency Coordinator in Hungary about the cash programme. “In addition, it also links refugee families to the national and subnational social welfare cadre of qualified professionals” she adds.  

Over the last year the humanitarian cash transfer programme has helped reach more than 1,800 households in Hungary, including over 3,000 children. It has enabled families to choose how best to support their children during times of hardship and benefit from a referral system to ensure families can adequately access social services, education, health care and legal support. 

The financial contribution of the United States’ Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and generous individuals has been essential in implementing the Budapest Helps! cash programme.  

Since the escalation of the full-scale war in Ukraine, more than 5 million people have been registered at the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. Over 60,000 refugees from Ukraine are living in Hungary.

This report presents findings from a Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) survey conducted among households after receiving the first round of cash assistance.