For years we have been participating in the Christmas Shoebox campaign of the Baptist Relief Service. We have made donations to Bethesda Children's Hospital and SOTE Klinik, among others, and our largest donation to date has been to the Baráthegyi Guide and Assistance Dog School Foundation.
There are 10,000 blind people and 80,000 visually impaired people in Hungary. Not every visually impaired person would need a four-legged companion, but there are many who would. There are 150-200 guide dogs in this country, of course there is a need for many more, but the three guide dog training schools and the funds available make this possible. By way of comparison, in England there are a thousand dogs in service every year. The cost of raising and training a guide dog can be as much as 2 million forints. It is a risky investment: when selecting the puppies, it is not known which ones will be suitable for the job, with an average of 5-6 out of 100 dogs.
Although it is a highly public service activity, unfortunately, guide dog training is one of the most underfunded areas in Hungary, so private donations are very important. If you would like to support the Baráthegy Guide Dog School, please visit this page.