Our project aims to provide help and guidance in one of the most personal and painful situations: children grieving over the loss of their close relatives. Based on a Finnish method, we will provide support to affected children from Ferencváros in peer-based self-help groups, thematic classes, involving creation and lots of games. The funds raised during Swimathon would help us support parents too, and – responding partly to the needs of professionals in educational, social and health care institutions, who work with families –

In Hungarian society, death is treated as a taboo even among adults. Children are often left alone in their mourning because institutions have little information about the age-specific characteristics of children’s grief. Very often parents and other adults are at loss as to how to support children to overcome grief. The Finnish method that we adopted helps a mourning child by organising a self-help peer group of children of the same age-group and with similar experiences. We find that adults working with children (teachers, school psychologists, social workers, nurses) reach out in crisis situations but often feel that they do not have the means to help grieving children.

• 2019 August: Announcing the Flower of Hope group
• 2019 October – 2020 January: Grief counselling groups for children, closed group in Ferencváros: 8 sessions
• 2019 September – 2020 April: 10 sessions, 6-hour sensitization workshops (for 50-80 people altogether, 4 workshops would take place in Ferencváros)

Grief counselling group for children:

8 occasions x 3 group leaders x 3 hours (5000 HUF x 3 hours x 8 sessions x 3 persons) = 360,000 HUF
8 occasions x 2 room rentals x 3 hours (2000 HUF x 3 hours x 8 sessions x 2 rooms) = 96,000HUF
Communication and contact with schools and professionals: 250,000HUF

• Communications costs (phone, etc.) 100,000HUF
• Information materials, flyers (Graphic design and printing): 150,000HUF

Workshops for professional: 5000HUF x 10 occasions x 2 persons x 6 hours: 600,000HUF
Travel costs related to workshops in the countryside: 15,000HUF (return ticket) x 5 locations x 2 persons: 150,000HUF
Materials, other costs (workshop manuals, equipment, office supplies): 44,000HUF
Total: 1,500,000 HUF

We would like to raise at least 1,500,000HUF through Swimathon, which would be used to cover the costs of the above activities as described above. We will use our website (www.gyaszportal.hu) and our social media channels to inform the public and our supporters of our activities. So far, the groups based on the Finnish model were launched twice a year in Budapest. In the project we would like to lay down the basis of a network of the grief counselling groups for adults, often set up by volunteers, which are available in many places in the country.

It is important for us to inform as many people as possible about our activities. Just as grief counselling groups for adults are increasing in number, so we would like to increase the number of similar groups for children. Our goal is to provide support for at least 12 children and their parents (22 people altogether) in grief counselling groups, to reach at least 80 professionals in Budapest and in the countryside and inform them about the method.

Napfogyatkozás Association is a community that aims to provide help for everyone who needs it to overcome grief over death or some other loss. We provide support for people who are mourning, organise training for professionals, disseminate information and organise awareness raising. The work of our association is based on cooperation and real needs.

Name: Napfogyatkozás Association
Address: 1133 Budapest, Hegedűs Gyula utca 92. 1/25.
Court registration number: 16pk60070/2001
Tax number: 18173486-1-41
Website: www. gyaszportal.hu
Contact person: Kinga Kánya, president
Contact information: [email protected] +36203383315

Contact for Flower of Hope program: Tímea Békési, [email protected] +36209720425