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, managing affairs, and diving into work helped us get through this time better. It was a pleasure to continue working with young people; we managed to not pass on our uncertainties to them and drew strength from them, from their daily smiles and enthusiasm.
We continue to focus on preparing our celebrations, maintaining traditions, and discussing them. We place special emphasis on celebrating each person's birthday, which is always a great joy for our young people.
After the year-end analyses, we can say that we managed to stay within our tight budget and even achieved some savings that will benefit us in the winter months. It was also a great joy to see the new residential building taking shape. The shell construction was completed. The many people who donated and the fact that we appeared in print media, on television, and on the internet helped make our construction project known. We believe that, with the help of people in our community, we will be able to continue the projects we started in the coming year.
JANUARY
Due to the changes that occurred, we had to renew our association. The new management of our association is equally committed and enthusiastic, so we are confident that our young people and the work started will continue to be in good hands. We sought new ideas and tried to implement them. Thanks to the idea of our volunteer Dávid Kegyes, we began organizing a series of events in partnership and collaboration with the Harag György Society and the Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic. February was chosen as the date for the events, as it would have been Tünde’s birthday.
FEBRUARY
The announcement of the event series began with the revelation that the new dormitory will be named Tündérhon in memory of Tünde Löchli. The Harag György Theatre Company supported the construction of the new building with the proceeds from the benefit performance of "Csongor és Tünde" and the film screening about the life of György Harag. It was a great joy and experience to work with them. We also hosted a carnival party, which is always very popular with our youth. One of our volunteers from Mikola surprised our small group with delicious carnival doughnuts.
MARCH
The Dinu Lipatti Philharmonic organized an operetta evening as the final event in the series, during which a significant amount was added to our donation fund. Additionally, we received a substantial donation from Autonet Import during the event, which was used for purchasing the roof windows. In the first three months, we had a pleasant and fruitful collaboration. Thanks to the received help, the expansion of the attic continued.
Craft activities continued with making jewelry for March and decorations for International Women's Day. With the arrival of spring, we observed the changes in nature together.
APRIL
Like all holidays, preparations for Easter were very exciting for our young people. We dyed eggs together and learned poems. After the traditional Easter sprinkling, the boys were allowed to spray perfume on the girls. During these days, we talked a lot about the significance of the holidays, customs, and traditions. Our young people also lovingly prepared for Mother's Day by making hearts and postcards and learning poems together. As the good weather approached, we were able to spend more time outside in the yard, where our youth helped with all the small tasks.
MAY
On the first day of the year, 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 on a walk in the nearby forest. A pleasant walk, learning about plants, admiring frogs, and a picnic on a blanket characterized a fun nature outing. Our indoor activities continued with developmental games: counting, drawing, crafting, and coloring.
We were pleased 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 walked and visited the kindergarten, school, Reformed Church, and 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 at such a place 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 from 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 with Father Hugo.
JULY
In the mornings, we spent a lot of time outside with our young people and walked through the village. A new youth was admitted to "Mosolyház," and we gave her a warm welcome. She settled in quite quickly. When the heat drove us indoors, we started crafting bags for the collected teas and plants and playing with modeling clay.
We worked on predefined topics with our young people: what we do in our free time and how we use our phones. Those who were on vacation shared their experiences and adventures.
AUGUST
We took advantage of the good weather and brought out the tricycles. To the great delight of our young people, they went on long bike rides on several days. This activity is always a great success for them.
Once again, we had partners from Austria and Budapest with whom we discussed the continued construction of the residential home. They assured us that they would continue to support us in achieving this important goal.
Our young people embroidered pepper sachets. We talked 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 examined them in pictures and in nature. In preparation for making plum jam, our young people helped wash and pick the fruit.
SEPTEMBER
With the help of local women and the plum donation 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 discussed the grape harvest, its customs, and traditions. They enthusiastically helped us prepare fruit salads from seasonal fruits and ate them with even greater enthusiasm. They also gladly assisted in making pickles, knowing how good they will taste in winter.
OCTOBER
We took advantage of the good weather, spent a lot of time outdoors, and our young people helped with daily leaf cutting. We also crafted decorations from the leaves together. The noodle soup and lasagna were prepared by local women and our young people from day care.
We were very pleased 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 residential home under construction, which they had significantly contributed to financing. It was clear how happy and excited our young people were to welcome the guests, who were treated to a pumpkin dessert made with the help of one of our volunteers. One of our young people greeted them with a poem in German. The local ladies delighted our partners with a delicious lunch.
NOVEMBER
Together with our young people, we held a church service to mark the death anniversary of the former president of our association. On All Saints' Day, we remembered our dear departed. We read a story about the onset of winter to our young people and discussed it together. We talked about our winter customs and 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 our children's favorite months, focusing on preparations and crafting Christmas decorations and motifs. Every day, we sing together and practice Christmas carols in Romanian, Hungarian, and English. Our partners, members of the Hungarian Baptist congregation in Satu Mare, contributed to the festive atmosphere by singing with us on the guitar and praying with the pastor.
Local volunteers helped us make gingerbread, which our young people then decorated. It was especially exciting to be visited by a television crew at this time, and several young people were happy to answer the questions posed. We lit the Advent candles, set up a nativity scene, and decorated our Christmas tree with our homemade ornaments, making the last days of the year at Mosolyház cheerful and cozy. We hope this will give us a boost for the start of the next year.
Our Motto for this Year
"When you are able to help others, that ability stops being just a skill and becomes a responsibility."
Adelle Davis
