Documentary project - BELA VARADI

Private companies closely linked to the far-right Orban regime have been taking advantage of the deprived gypsy population in the rust belt of Northeastern Hungary by tricking them into blood plasma donation. Blood plasma donation became a powerful business in an area characterized by unemployment and deprivation. The cynical political state which often spreads anti-gypsy hatred and conspiracy theories uses the very blood and flesh of their gypsy citizens.

In the last few years, businesses closely linked to the far-right regime recognized how to build enormous profits from the hopelessness of these people stuck in permanent poverty. The de-regulation of blood plasma donation skyrocketed private businesses operating plasma donation centers in the area. Many of these centers are even linked to the head of the National Blood Donation Service, whose husband is the most infamous publicist of the Orban regime and the author of many hateful anti-gypsy articles, urging patriots to road kill gypsies and comparing them to animals . Plasma centers linked to his wife now operate in seven Hungarian cities, and overall, there are now more than 50 private plasma donation centers across Hungary. While they pay a maximum of $30 for a donation, blood plasma could be sold in the world market for as much as $1000.

These centers often operate schemes taking advantage of the gambling addictions their donors suffer from, as regular donors could take part in lucky draws and scratch card programs. Although the donor centers should share their data with each other to make sure people are not able to donate plasma too frequently, this law is not enforced, and more and more people in the Northeast of Hungary see plasma donation as a form of living and spending their days commuting on the infrequent public transports between the different donor centers scattered around the main cities of the area.

Da-Gee was planning to donate blood plasma. He needs the money for his little girl's birthday.

There is no work here anymore - Ózd, Hungary

Da-Gee's wife and daughter, Scarlett, are at home in Petervasara - Hungary

A mainly Gypsy crowd is waiting outside a plasma centre in Ózd. Six days a week, from early morning to late afternoon, these centres are happy to collect the blood of the most vulnerable.

Da-Gee shows me the marks of the previous days' plasma donations. Technically, plasma should only be taken every two days, but the system can be easily manipulated.

During the decades of socialism, the large local Gipsy population, as part of a state-wide assimilation policy, was forced to work in the giant factories of the area. Following the collapse of these local industries, many found themselves unskilled to adapt to more hostile employment environments.

Szkarlett's birthday presents and her mother's donation notebook, where she keeps track of the points she had earned at the plasma centre.

At the end of each month, there's a chance to win a prize: a plasma TV. It is hard to figure out whether a pun was intended.

The 'plasma donors' soon discovered that companies don't verify if plasma has been donated elsewhere, allowing donors to give plasma 5-6 times a week. People like Da-Gee often travel across the bigger cities of the region every week.

People are sitting on benches in front of the Ózd Plazma Center.

Da-Gee received 12.000 HUF (£25) in this centre. "The cost of the bus ticket has to come off from this sum, though"

Another plasma centre in a shopping mall in Miskolc

Across the road from the shopping mall is one more plasma centre. In recent years, as many as 20 plasma centres have opened in the region.

A man is waiting for his wife in front of the third plasma centre in Miskolc.

This centre operates in the city centre, on the high street. There is always a lot of traffic here.

As the advertising billboard states proudly: 'We are looking for Super Heroes".

A lot of people visit this centre because as part of the payment, people could get not just cash but some shopping vouchers as well.

"Now we can go shopping."

Segregated education, the lack of national support to re-industrialise the area and welfare policies fueled by anti-gipsy far-right sentiment permanently shut off generations from work and progress. The even more hostile environment created by the far-right Orban government since 2010 left only a few choices to people from working-class gipsy backgrounds: they could either work as unskilled labourers in construction or resign to unemployment and vicious cycles of addiction and gambling - Miskolc.

Szkarlett's mother is also a regular plasma donor. She donated blood today; it is mandatory for regular plasma donors to donate blood as well.

It is forbidden to give plasma after donating blood, but Skarlett's mother has 'resilient veins' in both arms, so she went to donate plasma, too.

Szkarlett is very happy about her birthday presents.

The money quickly ran out, and as the birthday party was over, Da-Gee was off to go to Eger to give plasma. For the 4th time this week.