“It Can Also Be Done from Central Europe” – Hungarian Humanitarian Involvement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

by István Tarrósy

Increasing attention has been paid to Sub-Saharan humanitarian projects across the NGO sector of Hungary for some years. This may have come with the country’s accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004, related to its full membership (and participation) in the community’s common policies, in particular, in its development policy. It is an undoubted consequence of EU membership that all members have to financially contribute to joint EU actions in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries[i] as part of a wider framework of external relations with the technologically and economically less developed parts of the world, but Hungary has a history with Africa. Not as a colonial power, though. In scientific circles several Hungarians (or people of Hungarian descent) are known for their contribution to the global corpus on African studies, which in fact resulted in a wider and better understanding on the flora, fauna and peoples of different parts of the continent.[ii] During Communist times thousands of Africans received state scholarships to study for a degree at Hungarian universities. Today, Hungary as a donor country gives money to international organizations as well for humanitarian purposes. The EU and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development then ‘distribute’ this money between the states in need in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Aside from the “norms and principles of the international development aid regime” (Szent-Iványi 2012: 65) that Hungary needs to align itself with, from 2008 to 2013, Hungary has contributed 125 million Euros to the 10^th Development Program of the European Development Fund, a considerable part of which is allocated to Africa. All this is not only important from an aid point of view; thanks to this program, Hungarian civil associations have opportunities to realize EU micro projects planned in countries of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

One such organisation, the Foundation for Africa, has not yet won a grant from the annual International Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid budget of the Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, but aspires to one to give a new impetus to its long-term humanitarian education–focused project in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The project, which so far has been financed by individual donations, aims at providing schooling and vocational training for hundreds of children of poor families. College Othniel today enrolls just less than 500 elementary and high school students, and each student has a “foster parent” in Hungary supporting their education annually.

Twelve-year-old Buani is one of the sixth-graders, and her Hungarian “foster mother,” Anita, has been financially contributing to his education for six years, since he began school. He is a bright boy in a family of eight, one of the lucky three from the family who can attend school, with the opportunity therefore to get a decent job and support his large family after graduation. Although the culture of philanthropy is not part of everyday life in Hungary, growing numbers of people are giving away some part of their monthly household income to charities, foundations, and NGOs in support of ‘noble’ causes. More and more people choose an African project to align themselves with.

To be informed about any African case of humanitarian assistance, numerous websites offer reliable content and contacts. A major multilingual news portal (www.afriport.hu) is managed by one of the most active Hungarian NGOs on the African continent. The African-Hungarian Union (AHU) has been running health projects and sends medical doctors to different regions on a voluntary basis. Its fourth and fifth missions were executed in the refugee camp of Kiwanja Town, North Kivu Province, eastern DRC, in fall 2009 and 2010.

Not all the Hungarian NGOs working in Africa are aware of a substantial pool of scholarly criticism of ‘child sponsorship’; however, refining their policies along the lines of these critical thoughts is never too late. It seems to be generally acceptable that “a child’s life can only be improved if the lives of her family and community are improved” (Elliott, 2010); therefore, careful planning is essential in the complex world of assistance and aid for any organization wishing to contribute in real terms to local development. More awareness raising might be useful about the findings of scholars and experts who, from their empirical (field) research, point out that child sponsorship, by “creating fictive relationships reinforced through images of difference” – in a number of cases – is “well-intentioned but misguided act of charity” (Yuen 2008: 41). Although a number of Australian NGOs, for instance, have already revised their policies and removed child adoption programs of this kind from their aid activities (Aid Watch 2007), as they neither wanted to promote stereotyping, nor the aggravation of local inequalities (again reflecting Yuen’s approach), there are good examples of fostering local development with the inclusion of child sponsorships. The Foundation for Africa at least tries to avoid some of the problems researchers draw attention to. First of all, it considers accountability a key factor in managing local development. Even more important, it does not aim to please the donors more than the organization attempts to meet the needs of the local community. One thing still remains an issue to be challenged; that is, how to manage (if possible at all) the perception and understanding of local communities as the ‘fortunate ones’ being selected for sponsorship by wealthier Europeans, as opposed to the other communities without a ‘foster parent’ donor (the issue of ‘additional’ inequality creation).

‘Humanitarian tourists’ are also on the rise. The DRC is still not a ‘typical’ country of destination for tourists, however. As the Foundation for Africa advertises the DRC on its website (http://afrikaert.hu), “there is nothing covered with makeup, everything is uncovered”, and there are plenty of things to do all around (since 2007, the focus areas for the foundation include different quarters of Kinshasa, some parts of Matadi and the village of Bangu). People of different professions, backgrounds and means can easily come together for one common reason: to contribute to a potentially better life of the local communities (with bare hands or in other forms of active involvement). A substantial percentage of ‘tourist time’ is devoted to ‘micro projects’, such as building a new restroom, a fence or a soccer field for orphans, or teaching pupils songs and playing with the young ones with toys brought along from the home country of the ‘tourist’. A different form and quality of travel, but always bearing in mind the frequently praised approach of ‘inclusive development’ and the principle of ‘ownership’ in any local development. The younger the locals involved in cooperation and the given action, the better the chances are for long-term effects (for instance, in light of ‘inclusive growth’ both in the macro and micro context).

In 2010 the foundation added another dimension to its school project: with direct EU money it sends young European Voluntary Service volunteers to College Othniel and the orphanage called La Providence next to the school complex for five months at least once a year (depending on the funds available). As foundation president Adventist pastor France Mutombo, a DRC-born Hungarian resident, says, “This is a mission that changes the way you think about Africa and each other – on both ends, for the local children and for our volunteers.” Success stories of this kind can be presented from Hungary, too, which may support Titeca and De Herdt’s argument (2011) that in such a “failed state” – as the Fund for Peace in cooperation with Foreign Policy defines and ranks the DRC – “real governance” works on a daily basis. This means that although the central government is not capable of managing the state on its entire territory, public services such as education are still accessible, part of daily reality.

The Hungarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been making enthusiastic preparations for an ambitious Africa Forum to be held early June 2013 in Budapest with the clear intention to launch a new phase of Hungarian involvement in Africa, and there are rising hopes among humanitarian organizations. The Hungarian aid realm is certainly not a secular one because of the active involvement of different church groups in the field, but it is less known to the wider public who does what and whether the organizations cooperate, leading to calls for a more holistic approach advocated by some academic circles. To find the right connection between, for example, the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta, which has been active recently in drinking water sanitation centres in the slums of Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya, and the Reformed Church of Hungary and its collaborative efforts in Malawi and South Africa, more national networking may be desirable. The Hungarian Maltese Charity Service does not only focus on its aid projects, but also makes attempts to find linkages within the framework of the umbrella organization HAND – Hungarian Association for NGOS for Development and Humanitarian Aid established in 2003 (http://hand.org.hu/en). The Foundation for Africa also plans ahead on its own: it wishes to build the second block of classrooms, a new IT room, and a library and install a stable energy-supplying system, together with introducing new courses in its vocational training program (e.g., carpentry and sewer construction) and a brand new approach in adult education. At the same time, as a member of HAND, too, the Foundation for Africa is hoping for joint opportunities as part of a more active Hungarian–Africa policy.

 

István Tarrósy holds a PhD in Political Science and is Assistant Professor of the Department of Political Studies of the University of Pecs, Hungary. He is Director of the Africa Research Center. He is currently Fulbright Visiting Research Scholar at the Center for African Studies of the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. He was on a field research in the DRC in December 2012. You can contact him at tarrosy@publikon.hu.