
KYIV, 21 June 2024 — The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), together with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health, has delivered 40 vehicles to primary health care facilities in nine regions. This will support the Home Visiting Programme, a joint project of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and UNICEF which aims to improve access to quality health, nutrition, and development services for children aged 0 to 3 years old.
The vehicles were purchased with support from the Government of Spain and UNICEF National Committees in Spain and the Netherlands. The cars will be delivered to the Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions, and the city of Kyiv.
“Home visiting makes quality primary health care and services more accessible for children during their first 1000 days, the period from conception to two years old that is crucial for a child’s optimal growth and development,” says Veera Mendonca, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Ukraine. “Home visiting enables the early detection of health-related problems and risks, such as missed routine immunization doses, disabilities, and developmental difficulties. With early detection, children and their parents and caregivers can get the urgent services and support they need. This helps every child, especially the most vulnerable, get the best start in life.”
The new vehicles will enable home-visiting nurses to reach families with children aged 0 to 3 years in the Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions, and the city of Kyiv. It will help them reach families living in remote communities in these regions, including those close to the frontline, as well as in areas with internally displaced people.
"Despite the challenges of war, the health and well-being of children remain a top priority for the Ministry of Health,” says Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine. “We are committed to ensuring that every family has access to the health care they need. Our joint programme with UNICEF, which implements a universal and progressive model of home visits to enhance medical and social care for families with children from birth to three years old, has been operating for several years and has already proven its effectiveness. The 40 vehicles delivered by UNICEF today will increase the mobility of home-visiting nurses in nine regions, bringing the service even closer to families with children."
"Today’s event reflects the solidarity of Spain with the brave people of Ukraine, who must endure difficult circumstances due to this terrible war. This important initiative will allow children in their early stages of development residing in remote areas, as well as their parents or caregivers, to access routine healthcare services through home visits by qualified nurses. We are honored to be part of this,” said Ricardo López-Aranda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Spain to Ukraine.
In 2023, UNICEF donated 70 vehicles to 65 primary health care centres in eight regions of Ukraine.
Through the Home Visiting Programme, families receive support from health professionals on immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, positive parenting and early identification of developmental disabilities, health-related problems and risks.
The programme is currently being piloted in 12 regions of Ukraine: the Donetsk, Zhytomyr, Kirovohrad, Dnipro, Vinnytsia, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Volyn, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, and Kyiv regions, and the city of Kyiv. To date, more than 20,000 parents and children aged 0 to 3 have already been supported by the Home Visiting Programme.
Notes for editors
The Home Visiting Programme consists of two components:
- Universal – Every family will receive this service.
- Progressive – The number of home visits will depend on the individual needs of each family.
Each home visit will last about 60 to 90 minutes, during which a nurse will consult with the family and provide assistance on:
- early childhood development and possible risks of developmental disabilities;
- breastfeeding;
- immunisation and prevention of infectious diseases;
- the relationship between parents and child, and the father's involvement in the child's upbringing;
- mental health issues within the family;
- safe home environment and prevention of domestic violence;
- social issues.
Media contacts
Oleksandra Burynska
Communications Specialist
UNICEF Ukraine
Email: oburynska@unicef.org