Room for Roma refugees

When a clan of seven Roma women and 20 children escaped embattled Ukraine into Hungary, they found aid groups wanted to separate them to make housing possible.

Edgar Kovacs, pastor of the Free Christian Church in the village of Uszka, offered the only room in his church to house the large group.

“I have a big family, so when we heard on the news what happened next door, our hearts began beating faster, and my whole family and I tried to help,” said Kovacs, who is also Roma.

Ukraine’s westernmost regions, separated from the rest of Ukraine by the Carpathian Mountains, are home to some 150,000 ethnic Hungarians.

The leader of the family of 27, Ildiko Kulcsa, said the decision to leave their home in the Ukrainian village of Didova Hora, which had not yet experienced Russian invasion, was, “Very difficult. But I have children. I feared for them more than anyone.”

Kovacs has offered the church space as long as they need.