Updated: Expat Community in Hungary Supports Ukraine Refugees

  • 30 Mar 2022 8:02 PM
Updated: Expat Community in Hungary Supports Ukraine Refugees
Many expat individuals, groups and communities in Budapest are contributing to the urgently required relief efforts in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The overall collective effort is deeply moving and unifying.

There are too many such supporters to name them all, so here’s one example for inspiration: at The Workshop they have set up a safe and quiet resource space that is open 9am - 5pm (Monday - Saturday) for refugees to use free wifi, print documents, find accommodation, connect with family/friends and work by remote if possible.

Peter Grundberg, Co-Founder of The Workshop, told XpatLoop. "Trite as it may be to express but the tragic waste is beyond words. As many people have done in Budapest, Will (fellow co-founder William Clothier) and I simply reacted without any real forethought. We are simply trying to do what we think is helpful and have positive impact".

He continued, "We are collaborating with our network of kindly people to help accommodate, feed and advise refugees where can and facilitate their transit beyond Budapest if that’s what they are seeking. In such a short time we’ve met many humble and resilient people and can only hope the war stops as soon as possible."

The Workshop also offer free breakfast, lunch and drinks, and have a pool of volunteers that are present on-site to help navigate the various sources of information and direct refugees to relevant organisations / professionals for assistance with issues like accommodation, finding work, securing visas, schooling, mental health, and more.

Condé Nast Traveller has picked up this story as follows, "The British hoteliers behind Brody House in Budapest have set up the Ukrainian Relief Foundation to help them host refugees at their boutique hotel in the Hungarian capital and they have pivoted their café The Workshop to create a sanctuary for those fleeing the war. They are providing food and drink, and all donations to support this are welcome and needed".

Peter and Will say they aim to keep supporting Ukrainian refugees in the long term, by getting them on the staff payroll as team members once the visa conditions are settled. For now Ukrainian/Russian speakers are present to help overcome language barriers at The Workshop - located at Paulay Ede utca 16, 1061 Budapest.

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