Case Study - From Facebook group to aid organization (Migration Aid, Hungary) --- Migration Aid was founded in June 2015 (became a registered organization only several months later), at the height of the European refugee crisis, by a handful of concerned citizens in Budapest that desired to help migrants arriving in Hungary - as the government at the time did not provided necessary help for them. The organization originated as a closed group on Facebook, which was utilized as a virtual planning board for orchestrating aid delivery, which included food and supplies distribution. The organization also consisted of various specialty groups with coordinators assigned to handle legal matters, storage, logistics and any other issues. Migration Aid set up centers in the railway stations of Budapest and the surrounding area and quickly grew to over 600 volunteers. The success of Migration Aid was demonstrated by the fact that the Hungarian Red Cross signed an agreement with them a few months into the existence of Migration Aid (in August 2015) about (among other topics) joint provision of healthcare services in the train stations and the so called "transit zones" where migrants who illegally crossed the borders were kept.

Source author: Adrienn Nasz adrienn.nasz@gmail.com