In early August, Sant'Egidio Youth for Peace from Hungary organised a holiday at Lake Balaton for Ukrainian mothers and children who had fled to Hungary to escape the war. Some who had meanwhile returned to Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, also came to take part in this holiday. The children were accommodated in a house in the diocese of Szombathely, and the mothers stayed in flats rented by the Community.
Those who had returned to Ukraine were moved by the opportunity to be reunited with their friends. Yet they have brought with them so much pain, and so much fear. This was evident as evening approached, panicked children asked their mothers: ‘Will there be alarms here too?’. Indeed, night is a frightening time for them, because they are often woken by the air raid sirens and have to take refuge in windowless spaces, which are safer during attacks.
As it was difficult to fall asleep, the Youth for Peace organised a night football match for the older kids. They used mobiles to light the ball and the goal. They read stories to the younger children. Some needed extra cuddles. The children were very happy. They enjoyed every moment of it, playing and having fun. The Hungarian students organised many activities for them right from the morning, musical wake-up calls and gymnastics. Then handicraft workshops: dyeing T-shirts, weaving beads and bracelets, model aeroplane construction, painting. And lots of games on the beach.
On the last evening they all gathered to pray for peace. The holiday was a great opportunity both for those who have returned from war zones and for the refugee children, who have been attending Hungarian schools for two years but have so many difficulties learning the language and communicating. These days they did not have to struggle with language barriers and felt at home.
When saying goodbye, one of the mothers, who was preparing to return to her home in the war zone, said with emotion that this week had been a great gift. It was also a precious time for the young Hungarians: ‘We learnt a lot from the children. Anger never lasts long in them. If they have a quarrel, they immediately make peace. It would be nice if reconciliation between adults and between countries could be just as easy'.
