The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called on the Ukrainian government not to replace the “Baby Box” program with 180 dollars payment (five thousand hryvnias). This was reported by Deutsche Welle.
“We call on the government to continue the ‘Baby box’ program which supports newborn families throughout Ukraine. The vast majority of parents support this initiative and comment on its impact on their own budgets. ‘Baby box’ can be an effective tool to support vulnerable families in these difficult times," said Lotta Sylwander, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine.
According to a UNICEF survey, 79% of families with children felt the positive impact of the program on the family budget.
The number of items in the package has increased 2.5 times over the last two years.
"If only 35% of parents preferred the box to a cash payment in 2018, now 8 out of 10 families want to receive this aid in kind," the statement said.
It is also noted that the goods from the "box” will be more expensive for parents by 50-200%.
As we reported earlier, back in April, UNICEF Ukraine and Ukrainian Child Rights NGO Network were deeply considered due to the fact that 42,000 children, including children with disabilities, were sent back home from the boarding schools, and other child-care institutions as a result of COVID-19 measures taken by the Ukrainian Government.
