BUDAPEST, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government has outlined its experiences with its "Hungary Helps" humanitarian assistance program, which aims to save Africans "from the long and dangerous plight of the migrant."
"The driving force behind the Hungary Helps program is to deliver help directly to communities affected by conflict. It is focused on sub-Saharan Africa, and it strives to enable locals through direct aid to stay in their homeland instead of migrating to Europe," the Hungarian government said in a statement published on its website.
Sub-Saharan Africa has become one of the main sources of migration to Europe. Millions flee the region each year due to armed conflicts, public unrest and socio-economic hardship. Although many of them find refuge in Africa, they head to Europe in large numbers, fueled by the false promises of pro-migration politicians and human traffickers, according to the statement.
The government of Hungary said it wants to help these people and these communities in a way that gives them hope and reason to stay in their homeland.
"We believe smart, direct assistance offers a better response to the problems they face than the desperate choice of migration. This is why we launched the comprehensive Hungary Helps program in 2017," the statement said.
"Only two years old, the project has already enabled more than 35,000 people ... to remain in their homelands," it added.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, Hungary provides 1.12 million U.S. dollars to an eye clinic run by the St Raphael Ophthalmic Center.
Hungary's newest project focuses on Ethiopia. The country "has provided 1.68 million U.S. dollars to the Mai-Aini refugee camp, (which) provides shelter and basic services for approximately 15,000 Eritrean refugees, in spite of severely limited resources and facilities."
"During the peak of the migration crisis in 2015," the Hungarian government led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban "was widely criticized by international actors for taking a firm stance," the statement said. "Among those voices, some said that Hungary was acting heartlessly.
"Our approach is simple: to provide an alternative to the exploitation of human traffickers ... we are doing everything in our capacity to enable those in need to stay in their homelands," the statement concluded.
