Remarks by Ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis at the Huszárvár Social and Cultural Center:

Thank you all so much for coming today to our Active Citizenship Award ceremony. Before we begin, I would like to thank the organizers of the event, particularly Mrs. Mária Lengyel, for a wonderful job putting the award ceremony together.

First, allow me to say a few words about our Active Citizenship Award program. We established it just over a year ago to recognize individuals and organizations working to support and advance their communities. In my country, community activism has a very special meaning and a very special significance.

The roots of our community activism can be traced to the first settlers on American shores who had to fend for themselves, their families and their communities to survive. We have always believed that people themselves are in a better position to identify and find solutions to the problems their communities face; governments alone cannot solve all the problems. The tradition of supporting each other as neighbors and responsible citizens lives on today and we still see community activism as honorable and highly rewarding work.

You may have heard that President Obama, a Harvard graduate with brilliant employment and earning opportunities, chose to start his professional career as a community organizer in a poor neighborhood in Chicago, helping people to improve their communities and to realize their own potential as citizens and leaders. Later, as President, he initiated a program called “Champions of Change” to recognize ordinary Americans working together to better their communities.

It’s exactly the same as what you’re doing here, because of course, community activism is not only an American phenomenon. Over the last year I have seen many examples of outstanding community service here in Hungary – business people, teachers, students, people of all walks of life coming together to help their neighbors, their fellow citizens to have better lives.

This is why I decided to come to Human-Net today – to see what I have heard about before -- the work you are doing to improve housing conditions and offer employment opportunities to local families. I was especially impressed with the work that your organization conducts to assist the Roma community in Huszártelep. The vital social services you provide to these families can make a profound difference in their lives.

Providing an individual with the capacity to earn a living and support his or her own family is key to breaking the cycle of poverty, building a brighter future for coming generations and to fully integrate into the society. For too long, discrimination against Romani Hungarians has caused many citizens to be marginalized, isolated and prevented from contributing their talents to society. The best, if not the only way, to change this is to provide quality education to all young citizens, including Roma.

Former Secretary Hillary Clinton called full integration of Roma into the societies and nations where they reside a piece of “unfinished business.” She said that the “Romani people are on the frontlines of the struggle for greater human rights and dignity.” She also emphasized the importance of building understanding between Roma and non-Roma, observing that “discrimination anywhere, against anyone, diminishes the human dignity of us all, that persistence does eventually win out over prejudice, and that talent only needs the opportunity to thrive.”

I cannot agree more with this. And I want to acknowledge Minister Balog and the important work he’s doing all across this country toward equal opportunity, toward improving conditions of people in poverty, and toward integration. He is a very practical man, but has a very inspirational approach. And what Human-Net does here in Huszárvár is all the more encouraging because you do this work jointly with the local government and NGOs including the Roma Self-Government.

So I wanted to use this unique opportunity of our travel with Minister Balog to recognize your efforts and I am delighted now without further ado, to present the Human-Net with the Ambassador’s Award for Active Citizenship. Congratulations!

Source: U.S. Embassy

Photo: Ambassador Kounalakis presents the Active Citizenship Award to Mária Lengyel, Director of HUMAN-NET. (Embassy photo by Attila Németh)