Erzsébet Programme, Hungary’s most prominent social programme of the past two decades, gave the opportunity for more than 250,000 people to go on vacations last year, 100,000 among them were children. As the spokesperson of the programme, Anna Nagy said in a press conference this Wednesday in Budapest, 62 new calls for proposals are announced for children, large families, and the elderly and disabled people this year.

As Ms Nagy pointed out, the number of proposals was duplicated compared to that of last year. This summer fifty-eight kinds of Erzsébet Camps will be announced, out of which twenty is entirely new. Novelties among the known camp types are the volleyball camps; surf and fishing camps and folk music camps. There will also be special day camps available in the summer to be held in six out of the most deprived sub regions of Hungary. The camping fee for deprived children will be only 500 HUF for a whole week. She added that Erzsébet camps are open for every child with the same condition than last year. Children coming from smaller-wage backgrounds are able to go on a vacation for no more than 2,000 HUF per week, while for others the sum is 10,000 HUF for seven days. The program offers seven different types of sport camps for children living with disabilities as well.

Large families, elderly people and the disabled could apply for social vacation possibilities for a deductible of 5,000 HUF (adults) and 2,500 HUF (kids). Ms Nagy said that for retired people a spa ticket is going to be introduced. Applicants can choose from sixty thermal baths of Hungary.

A total sum of 3.5 billion HUF is available for the whole program solely from the revenues of the Erzsébet Voucher that employers may provide their employees with for meals and catering services as benefit over and above their basic pay. As such, it does not represent an additional burden on the Hungarian state budget.

(Ministry of Public Administration and Justice)