BDPST Group signed a strategic partnership with Hungarian Interchurch Aid, according to which the group is to fully finance the establishment of a regional development centre in Kastélyosdombó, Somogy county. As a result of the investment of HUF 200 million, another new, unique element can be added to the model programme launched by the aid organisation a decade ago, where value preservation and the promotion of the catching up of disadvantaged families are in the focus.

The Hungarian Interchurch Aid has been operating an exemplary model programme in Kastélyosdombó, Somogy county, for nearly a decade. As the first element of the catch up programme, a transition house has been established in the former castle of the village, where families can get a real chance to make a new start: the aid organisation offers a solution for the housing problems of the families, it takes the marginalised people back to the world of work, and it also helps the parents make their children overcome the disadvantages gained before. The model of Kastélyosdombó has become a unique regional development programme by now; children and families all over the region attend the regular community and development programmes.

As another milestone of the model programme, the Hungarian Interchurch Aid and BDPST Group are to establish a unique regional development centre in Kastélyosdombó, which can further strengthen the local community. As a result of the complete renewal of the former granary, with its floor area of more than 800 square metres located in the centre of the village, as well as that of its surroundings, the facility can become the true centre of social life in the region: it can host the professional forums and meetings of the farmers living in the region, it can be the venue for the local farmer’s market, and, it can also serve as a suitable venue for organising community events there. Building on the bicycle tourism of the village located near where three rivers (Mura, Drava, Danube) meet, the accommodations set up in the renewed building can contribute to the sustainability and success of the regional development programme in the long term.

“The implementation and financing of the complex development go well beyond the budget of our organisation, therefore we looked for supporting partners. It was a pleasure to see the cooperation we experienced: BDPST Group offered to finance the investment to the full, while ZDA Zoboki Architecture Office undertook to prepare the plans of the new village centre pro bono, and Pagony Landscape and Garden Architects Office also undertook to design the landscape architectural part of the development free of charge”, said László Lehel, chairman and CEO of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid. He also added: the Hungarian Interchurch Aid signed a strategic agreement with BDPST Group, under which they plan further cooperation with the group.

“We appreciate the decades of work of the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, which builds on the power of collaboration to help families and children in need. I believe that complex programmes are needed to support social inclusion and disadvantaged families, that is why it was obvious for us to help the Hungarian Interchurch Aid with making their model programme successfully operating in Kastélyosdombó for nearly a decade step up to another level”, said István Tiborcz, the majority owner of BDPST Group. “We consider it our mission, what is more, our obligation, to support children and young people living in difficult conditions to give them a chance to catch up, improve as well as to have a successful and happy life. As a father of three children, I also regard it as a personal mission”, he added. In this case, the form of support, that is, the renovation of the building of the former granary and its surroundings also coincides with the business philosophy of BDPST Group, which aims at the preservation and saving of the architectural and cultural values forming an integral part of our cultural heritage.

The activities of BDPST Group relating to social responsibility and donations focus on children and young people being the guarantors of the future of our society. Since its establishment, the group of companies has been supporting organisations and health institutions in charge of the care, support and development of children and young people as well as civilians in need on a regular basis. The cooperation between BDPST Group and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid also has a history: the group hosted 140 social professionals of the organisation as well as their families in Lifestyle Hotel Mátra located in Mátraháza, in calm, forest environment in December 2021 to thank the social professionals for their dedicated work.

Furthermore, BDPST Group strives to help the refugees and the aid organisations in charge of refugee care in the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine with all its available resources. This includes providing accommodation and care for hundreds of refugees fleeing from Ukraine in the countryside as well as in the capital by the group.