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President Áder sets up charity for coronavirus orphans

“More than 600 children and 400 families have been affected,” the president said, adding that the orphans would need financial support until they enter the workforce or obtain a degree.

President János Áder and First Lady Anita Herczegh have set up a foundation to help children orphaned by the coronavirus.

In an interview with Kossuth Rádió, the president said the third wave had brought about the deaths of many parents raising young children. “More than 600 children and 400 families have been affected,” he said, adding that the orphans would need financial support until they enter the workforce or obtain a degree.

President Áder and his wife are founding members of the board of trustees, and he has invited Emőke Bagdi, a clinical psychologist, and Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, a physicist to participate in the board. Donations can be accepted once the foundation is fully legally established. Until then, the president and his wife have donated HUF 5 million (EUR 13,850) of their own savings to get the foundation up and running.

The president said the help of local councils, mayors and clerks was indispensable for the success of the program as they know the families involved and also exactly what financial support is needed.

The foundation is being named after István Regőczi, a Catholic priest who took care of orphaned children throughout his life in the interwar period.