Annual Report 2022

We entered the year 2022, which, at the beginning, was marked by many questions and concerns following our loss. Handling the necessary paperwork, taking care of business, and immersing ourselves in work helped us get through this time more easily. It was a pleasure to continue working with young people—we managed not to pass our uncertainties onto them and instead drew strength from them, from their daily smiles and enthusiasm.

We continue to focus on preparing our celebrations, preserving traditions, and discussing them. We place special emphasis on celebrating everyone's birthday, which always brings great joy to our young people.

After analyzing the year-end results, we can say that we managed to stay within our tight budget and even achieved some savings that will benefit us during the winter months. It was also a great joy to see the new residential building take shape. The shell construction has been completed. The many people who donated and the fact that we appeared in print media, on television, and online helped raise awareness of our construction project. We believe that with the support of those around us, we will be able to continue the projects we have started in the coming year.

JANUARY

Due to recent changes, we had to renew our organization. The new management team is equally committed and enthusiastic, ensuring that our young people and the ongoing work remain in good hands. We searched for new ideas and worked to implement them. Thanks to the initiative of our volunteer Dávid Kegyes, we began organizing a series of events in partnership with the Harag György Society and the Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic . February was chosen as the date for the event, as it would have been Tünde’s birthday.

FEBRUARY

The announcement of the event series was accompanied by the news that the new residential home would be named Tündérhon in memory of Tünde Löchli. The Harag György Theatre Society supported the construction of the new building with the proceeds from a benefit performance of Csongor and Tünde and a film screening about the life of György Harag. It was a great joy and a valuable experience to collaborate with them.

We also organized a carnival party, always a favorite among our young people. One of our volunteers from Mikola surprised our small group with delicious carnival donuts.

MARCH

As the final event of the series, the Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic organized an operetta evening, which brought in a generous amount for our donation fund. Additionally, during the event, we received a substantial donation from Autonet Import , which was used to purchase roof windows. The first three months of the year were marked by a pleasant and productive collaboration. Thanks to the support received, the expansion of the attic could continue.

Craft activities also continued, with the creation of jewelry for March and decorations for Women's Day. As spring arrived, we observed the changes in nature together.

APRIL

Like all holidays, the preparations for Easter were very exciting for our young people. Together, we dyed eggs and learned poems. Following the tradition of Easter sprinkling, the boys were allowed to spray the girls with perfume. During these days, we talked a lot about the meaning of the holiday, customs, and traditions.

Our young people also lovingly prepared for Mother's Day by making hearts and postcards and learning poems together. As the weather improved, we were able to spend more time outside in the courtyard, where our youth eagerly helped with all the small tasks.

MAY

On the first day of the year, the EKE Satu Mare organized a charity hike to support the construction of "Tündérhon." We would like to thank the enthusiastic hikers and organizers. We often took advantage of the beautiful weather. When the school provided a bus, we took our young people for walks in the nearby forest. A pleasant walk, learning about plants, admiring frogs, and having a picnic on a blanket made for an enjoyable nature retreat.

Our indoor activities continued with developmental games: counting, drawing, crafting, and coloring.

We were happy to see that the roof of Tündérhon was completed. Our partner organization, Progress Art, held its first training course for home caregivers as part of the AFIR grant.

JUNE

We continued with seasonal activities: We collected plants and flowers for tea. We took walks and visited the kindergarten, the school, the Reformed Church, and the Roman Catholic Church in Mikola. The young people were very enthusiastic, enjoyed the conversations, and asked questions. We were happy to be received so warmly by everyone.

At the end of the month, our young people had a special experience: We went together to the beach in Satu Mare. Many of them were visiting a place like this for the first time. They got to know the water and had a lot of fun swimming. Afterwards, we had lunch together at a restaurant.

Our partners from Austria, Father Hugo and representatives of the Kiwanis Club, who supported the construction of the home, were our guests. We visited the construction site together to see how the work was progressing and prayed together with Father Hugo.

JULY

In the mornings, we spent a lot of time outdoors with our young people, walking through the village. A new young person was welcomed into "Mosolyház," and we made her feel at home. She quickly adapted. When the heat drove us indoors, we began crafting bags for the collected teas and plants and played with modeling clay.

We worked on predefined topics with our young people: what we do in our free time, what we use our phones for. Those who were on vacation shared their experiences and stories.

AUGUST

We took advantage of the good weather and brought out the tricycles. To the great delight of our youth, they went on long bike rides on several days. This activity is always a big success for them.

Once again, we had partners from Austria and Budapest, with whom we continued discussing the construction of the dormitory. They assured us that they would continue to support us in achieving this important goal in the future.

Our youth embroidered pepper bags. We talked together about the differences in the human body, how it looks, and the features of the face and body. We discussed what seasonal fruits and vegetables are, and we observed them in pictures and in nature. In preparation for making plum jam, our youth helped wash and pick the fruits.

SEPTEMBER

With the help of the local women and the donation of plums from our volunteer, several kilos of plum jam were made in two cooking sessions.

We were introduced to symphonic music and listened to music together with our young people. We talked about the grape harvest, its customs, and traditions. With great enthusiasm, they helped us prepare fruit salads from seasonal fruits and ate them with even greater enthusiasm. They also gladly helped with making pickled cucumbers, knowing how good they would taste in winter.

OCTOBER

We took advantage of the good weather and spent a lot of time outdoors. Our youth helped us with the daily leaf raking, and together we made jewelry from the leaves. The noodle soup and lasagna noodles were prepared by local women and our youth from the day care.

We were very happy to celebrate the 5th anniversary of "Mosolyház."

Once again, we had guests. Our Austrian partners, representatives from the Noah Association, who visited Mikola for the first time, stayed with us for several days. We were able to show them the village, the school, the church, and the dormitory under construction, which they have significantly contributed to funding. It was clear how happy and excited our young people were to welcome the guests, who were treated to a pumpkin dessert with the help of one of our volunteers. One of our youth greeted them with a poem in German. The local women treated our partners to a delicious lunch.

NOVEMBER

Together with our youth, we held a church service on the anniversary of the death of the former president of our association. On All Saints' Day, we remembered our dearly departed. We read a story about the onset of winter to our youth and discussed it together. We talked about our winter traditions and winter holidays. They made a postcard and wrote a letter to Santa Claus. In anticipation of Christmas, we lit the first Advent candle together.

DECEMBER

This is one of the favorite months of our children, as everything revolves around preparations, crafting Christmas decorations and motifs. Every day we sing together and practice Christmas songs in Romanian, Hungarian, and English. Our partners, members of the Hungarian Baptist community from Satu Mare, contributed to the Christmas atmosphere by singing with us on the guitar and praying together with the pastor.

The local volunteers helped us make gingerbread, which our youth then decorated. It was especially exciting to be visited by a TV crew at this time, and several youth were happy to answer the questions asked. We lit the Advent candles, set up a nativity scene, and decorated our Christmas tree with the Christmas ornaments we made ourselves, making the last days of the year in Mosolyház joyful and cozy. We hope this will give us a boost for the start of the next year.

Our Motto this Year

"If you are able to help your fellow humans, this ability ceases to be just an ability and becomes a responsibility."

Adelle Davis