Bed linen sets, towels, sleeping bags and hygiene packages make up the humanitarian aid shipment worth HUF 40 million, which was handed over by the Hungarian Reformed Charity Aid in Tiszaujlak (Vylok) on 11 June 2026. Through the mediation of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church District, the aid will reach Sumy and Kharkiv regions in Eastern Ukraine, where thousands of people are living and suffering in the shadow of the fifth year of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

Founded twenty years ago, the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid has continuously supported families in need throughout the Carpathian Basin through its charitable activities. Earlier this year, the UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee Agency) offered the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid 170 pallets of new humanitarian aid, including bed linen sets, towels, sleeping bags and hygiene products. Nearly one third of the donations have been distributed in recent months to diaconal and social institutions in Hungary, while a further 30 percent can provide assistance in war-affected areas. The remaining supplies serve as a crisis reserve to support the operations of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid and enable a rapid response to emergency situations.

Four trucks are transporting the approximately HUF 40 million worth of material donations to Transcarpathia. The first shipment arrived on 11 June in Tiszaujlak, near the border. From there, through the mediation of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church District, the humanitarian aid will be delivered directly to vulnerable families in war-affected settlements in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Following the unloading of the truck, Sándor Zán Fábián, Bishop of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church District, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had visited Transcarpathia on 9 April, where he thanked the local population for their perseverance and asked people not to forget that winter could cause serious difficulties for those living in Eastern Ukraine.

“We heard this message and thought about how we could help the communities on the front line who are the most vulnerable. This is how we reached out to the Hungarian Reformed Charity Service, through whom we received this support, which we can now forward. These products can be essential for families who are in extreme need or forced to flee their homes,” he said.

He added that they pray for the war to end as soon as possible, but until then they want to improve the sense of security and the circumstances of their brothers and sisters who are facing the greatest burdens. “We would like them to feel that Eastern and Western Ukraine are not separated from one another; we stand in solidarity with each other and help one another wherever we can,” the bishop concluded.

At the handover ceremony, Viktória Katona, Executive Director of the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid, described the creation of this donation effort as an act of divine providence:

“Exactly at the time when our brothers and sisters in Transcarpathia reached out to us for help, the United Nations Refugee Agency offered this donation to our organisation. Glory be to God for bringing this request for help before us and allowing us to support families suffering from the war with basic yet indispensable donations, such as a warm blanket, a pillow, or family hygiene packages containing toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo and soap.”

The managing director greeted those present with a message from Scripture:
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

Representatives arriving from the Sumy and Kharkiv regions expressed their heartfelt gratitude to both the leadership of the Transcarpathian Reformed Church District and the Hungarian Reformed Church Aid. They shared that thousands of people live in these communities without access to shops or pharmacies, and alongside everyday hardships they must also cope with significant emotional and psychological burdens.

“Near the front lines, children experience things and gain knowledge that they should never have to know. They can distinguish the sounds of drones and missiles at any moment, but they cannot imagine what it is like to sit at a school desk and be part of a classroom community. In such circumstances, it is deeply moving to experience that help arrives from Hungary and that the Hungarian minority living here also stands with us in our time of hardship.”