
ISSA Welcomes a New Member: the Carpathian Foundation-Hungary
The new ISSA Member – the Carpathian Foundation-Hungary – is an independent grantmaking foundation that serves the Hungarian part of the Carpathian region, Northeast Hungary, that consists of the most underdeveloped, rural areas of the country. The foundation acts as a regional community foundation, provides grants and technical assistance to local governments and civil society organizations, scholarships to disadvantaged students and runs its own programs to alleviate poverty and decrease social exclusion in North-Eastern Hungary.
“We provide assistance in community development and strategy development in various fields, also in absorbing funds, like project planning, writing, project management, and so on for the local stakeholders,” says director of the Foundation Boglarka Bata. “We run the Early Years Matter program and we contribute to early childhood development of 300-400 children living in deep poverty. We are also strengthening the parental skills of the families. This program supports Roma and pro-Roma civil society organizations working with excluded, marginalized Roma communities in North-Eastern Hungary that run local Early Childhood Development programs.”
In the Foundation they are very proud with the marginalized Roma communities that became active and strong with their support. People from these Roma communities now take part in public discourses, mobilize members of the local communities, and work for the well-being of the whole community, especially for families with small children. Through the Foundation’s intervention, about 2 000 marginalized Roma children acquired early skills development, and playful learning opportunities.
Becoming the ISSA Member, the Carpathian Foundation-Hungary is hoping to gain new contacts, partnerships and learn from ISSA and its members. The Foundation also would like to represent the small, rural grassroots, and their local partners who do not have the opportunity to be member of international collaboration like ISSA.
For more information about their activities please watch this short video.