The construction of the school in the Iraqi city of Erbil, which is being funded within the framework of the Government’s Hungary Helps programme, is progressing according to schedule.
Construction of the high school for refugee children from Iraq and Syria is being realised on a 3800 square metre plot owned by the Chaldean Church in the Lebanese Village district of Ankawa, Erbil’s Christian quarter. Fighting against the Islamic State terrorist organisation was going on just 50 kilometres away from the site until very recently. Work has been progressing according to schedule despite the difficult conditions and unreliable supply lines, and construction is now continuing on the third floor of the building. Children are expected to be able to begin their studies in the new, three-storey building this year.
Hungary’s standpoint is clear: Illegal immigration must be stopped outside Europe, the EU’s borders must be protected, assistance must be taken to where there is trouble, and the resettlement of migrants cannot be made compulsory. The Government’s goal via the Hungary Helps programme is to provide aid to people in a difficult situation in the Middle East, and to create for them the opportunity to make a new start.
The essence of the programme is to provide aid in a rational manner, thanks to which “assistance is taken to where it is needed, instead of bringing the trouble here”. In addition to the school in Erbil, the Government is currently also providing assistance in Lebanon and Jordan, for instance, as well as funding church construction projects and job creation programmes in the Middle East.