The region of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia was struck last week by natural chaos on a scale not seen in 150 years. We feel it is our most fundamental human duty to help our fellow human beings in the midst of this extraordinary chaos. In recent years, we have already participated in numerous disaster relief efforts; in Sri Lanka, Haiti, and the Philippines, we distributed food to victims who had lost literally everything. In Hungary, the red sludge disaster in Devecser, as well as the floods in Felsőzsolca and last year’s Danube floods, put us to the test. Some of these disasters required us to travel enormous distances to provide assistance, Nor can we ignore the needs of our fellow human beings living in neighboring countries. This is the problem we're facing right now, here in Central Europe.

The floods in the Balkans have affected us deeply. Our foundation has numerous volunteers in both countries, as well as licensed kitchens where our teams have been working tirelessly since the very first day of the disaster. Our volunteers are continuously distributing food in ever-increasing quantities: In Serbia, more than 1,300 plates of hot food are currently being prepared each day, and in Bosnia, several hundred. While lunch is being distributed in Serbia, in Bosnia—due to the smaller kitchen—they cook in several shifts, so they deliver both lunch and dinner to those affected. They strive to treat people primarily to local, vegetarian national dishes, and the people are very grateful for the food, since most of them haven’t eaten anything for days or have had access only to cold, canned food!

A recurring problem is that while aid organizations sometimes provide disaster victims with non-perishable food items—such as packaged pasta and similar products—the victims are unable to prepare meals from these items themselves due to a lack of clean drinking and cooking water. In many places, houses and homes have collapsed, so survivors are staying in temporary shelters. Volunteers from "Food for Life" deliver fresh, hot meals, They are primarily delivering lunch to the evacuated residents at schools, gyms, and hotels that have been converted into shelters, but in recent days they have also provided hot meals to residents of Obrenovac who have been stranded by the floodwaters.

JRight now, there is a tremendous need for help in both Bosnia and Serbia! Although the local volunteers are very tired from working nonstop, they are trying to persevere and are awaiting international reinforcements. They need financial support, human resources, additional kitchen equipment, transport vehicles, boats, and motor vehicles, as well as clothing and basic supplies. Currently, 10–15 volunteers are working continuously at both locations; they are performing volunteer service alongside their jobs or school studies, so in the long term, they will also need professional relief. The Hungarian team of “Food for Life” is now trying to help with this.

Although we are constantly monitoring the flood situation and developments in Hungary due to the rainy spring weather, we are keeping a close eye on where we might be needed in our country, Our foundation is sending a team of four people from Hungary, traveling in one vehicle, to the flood-stricken region for an initial assignment of nearly two weeks of on-site service. They are taking with them the emergency monetary donation from the Hungarian Society for Krishna Consciousness, the funds received from donors through the Adhat telephone donation line, and additional in-kind donations. The volunteers will assist local volunteers in the Bosnia region with cooking, food distribution, as well as logistical and organizational tasks. All team members have previously participated in food distribution during floods, so they have the necessary experience to carry out these tasks. You’ll be able to follow the team’s progress on our website.

Local volunteers have reported that cooperation with other local aid organizations is excellent and that the solidarity among the people is exemplary; therefore, with the help of international aid, damage mitigation is expected to proceed efficiently and quickly.

Food distribution in the Balkans following the floods was carried out by the You can make a donation by calling the 13600 Adhat Donation Line and dialing code 33., you can contribute 250 Ft (gross) per call to support our work. Or the KHB 10201006 – 50280757 – 00000000 account numberYou can also make a donation via bank transfer (account holder: MKTHK) with the note “flood.” Every call and every act of help makes a huge difference to the cause! Thank you for your help!