Over the course of two weeks, the four-member Hungarian aid team, working alongside Bosnian Krishna devotees, distributed 6,000 meals.

Our Church has translated its deep sympathy for the victims of the natural disasters that struck Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia into concrete action. We consider it our duty to be ready to help not only our fellow human beings in our own country or immediate surroundings, but also, as needed, those living in neighboring or more distant countries. As we have done in other instances, our church has contributed not only through financial support but also through hands-on labor to alleviate the suffering of those affected by this natural disaster.

We sent a team of four experienced volunteers to support the work of the Krishna devotees in Sarajevo. The local congregation, using its own resources and efforts, began working the very next day after the disaster and sought to serve survivors and those affected by distributing hot meals. The arrival of the Hungarian team—equipped with the necessary tools, expertise, and vehicles—gave a huge boost to the locals, who had neither the experience nor the resources to handle the work required in such a situation. The constantly changing circumstances and locations, people’s despair, and organizational, transportation, and other difficulties posed no challenge to the deployed unit; their flexibility and the resourcefulness characteristic of Hungarians multiplied the locals’ performance many times over.

Due to the extraordinary circumstances and the enormous demand, the Krishna Temple in Sarajevo was converted into a facility capable of preparing meals for large crowds, where the local and Hungarian teams spent their days working 14 to 16 hours a day. The multi-course —consisting of a main course, fresh salad, homemade sandwiches, fruit, and desserts—lunch was delivered every day to villages and small towns located hundreds of kilometers from the capital.

In the villages, daily meals were provided to people who had been left homeless due to flooding and landslides. People who were already living in poverty and without work found shelter with relatives, with residents of neighboring villages who were also living in difficult circumstances, or in public buildings suitable for housing them. The local population, now destitute, faced further dangers in the aftermath of the disaster: the threat of landmines, infections, looters, unscrupulous profiteers, etc. Because of the latter, residents viewed every stranger who appeared with suspicion. The sight of an aid truck with Hungarian license plates brought some relief to their daily lives, and the predominantly Muslim population quickly took the Krishna devotees—who returned daily with the intention of helping—into their hearts.

Hungarian and Bosnian believers prepared and distributed a total of 6,000 servings of hot meals in villages across Central Bosnia (Svrake, Vogošća, Olovo, Vares, Begov Han, Topcic Polje, Kahrimani, Nemila, Željezno polje, and Orahovica).