The Erzsébet (Elizabeth) Programme – a government initiative launched three years ago and originally introduced to help the vacationing of underprivileged children – is both a symbol of the renewal of Hungary and proof of the Government’s commitment to social solidarity, Minister of State for Family Affairs and Social Inclusion Károly Czibere said at a vacation camp in Fonyódliget, near Lake Balaton.
According to the Minister of State, the Erzsébet Programme is one of the most successful means for a government to exercise social responsibility, and a model for the entire continent. In these holiday camps, disabled people can spend their vacations together with the healthy, and enjoy the benefits of integration with the help of dedicated specialists.
Mr. Czibere said that since its launch, the Erzsébet Programme has been expanded to include both underprivileged children and families with many children as well as the disabled and the elderly. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian National Foundation for Recreation Zoltán Guller said that the programme, which has provided vacation opportunities to some 35 thousand disabled people since its launch, welcomed its 400,000th participant this year, and the number of people who will enjoy a government-funded vacation this year thanks to the Programme is expected to exceed 165,000.
Mr. Guller added that prominent athletes and artists regularly support the Erzsébet Programme by offering training and tuition to children. The program offers social vacations and summer camps for the target groups, and the level of personal contribution – depending on social conditions – can be as low as 1,000 forints (EUR 3.3) per day.