The Cordelia Foundation was established in 1996 as the accredited member of the Copenhagen-based network, the IRCT (International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims). The Foundation received the public benefit status in 1998.

The aim of our activity is to improve the mental state and quality of life of severely traumatized asylum-seekers, refugees with asylum or other humanitarian status, and their families, through complex psycho-social rehabilitation.

The treatment of the psycho-social and somatic problems of this unique target group is a basic-service public-benefit task, and the Cordelia Foundation is the only civil organization in Hungary which serves this role. The services of the Foundation thus supplement the national health care services through a comprehensive treatment-system.

Our professional team consists of therapists with multicultural experiences and training, and currently comprises 5 psychiatrists, one psychologist, and one non-verbal therapist, who generally treat the refugee clients at the reception centres. The methods used by the therapists have been internationally acknowledged, and the activity of the therapists is supported by a social helper, 3-5 trained interpreters, and 3 administrative employees. In 2009, 831 clients took advantages of our services.

We regularly provide trainings and supervision for professionals working with refugees.

Our centrally located office in Budapest serves as a location for administration, and also provides space for certain therapies and for the internal supervision of the therapists and professional employees.

We finance our activity through grants and funds.

The UNHCR has rewarded our work with the 2004 “Asylum prize”. In 2008 the committee of the Viennese ‘Sozial Marie, prize for social innovation’ chose the Foundation as one of the awarded organisations. In 2009 the National Immigration Agency acknowledged the services of the Foundation in the field of mental health treatment of refugees with a certificate.

 

Our main donors:

 

 

 

 

International Torture Victim Day - on 23th June 2011, in DocuArt, Budapest. Program in Hungarian