Refugee families from Ukraine started receiving social benefits through postal money orders money

Thanks to the trilateral cooperation between the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus, the Belarusian Red Cross and Belpochta RUE, the first families with children from Ukraine have already received financial support to satisfy the needs of their children. To get your financial support payment, you should contact the Belarusian Red Cross office, submit an application, and pick up the money at any Belpochta post office.

Belarus has an effective national social support system, which, among other things, includes targeted social material assistance for Belarusians. Families from Ukraine who are not fully covered by this assistance receive financial support from the UNICEF Emergency Response Program in Belarus.

“Together with the Belarusian Red Cross, we have been implementing several programs to support refugees and migrants. These include Information Focal Points, psychological counselling, health camps, pre-schooling, vouchers to buy the most necessary things, and humanitarian aid. Today we also offer cash benefits to help refugee families with children from Ukraine integrate faster into a new society and reduce stress from uncertainty and anxiety about their future. We are pleased that this assistance has become even more efficient and accessible (through over 2,800 offices across the country) under the trilateral cooperation with Belpochta and the Belarusian Red Cross. UNICEF has a long record of working with national postal services worldwide. They help spread vital information about disease prevention, channel money allowances to families with children in crises, and deliver other services,” — said Rustam Haydarov, UNICEF Representative in Belarus.

Financial assistance is a convenient and flexible tool to help meet some of the basic needs of families. After receiving assistance, parents can decide what child-needs they can spend the money on: clothes, educational courses, etc. 

“This is a very convenient type of assistance. I can spend money on what is really important for our family. Right now, my son, Bogdan, really needs new shoes. My daughter also needs new spring clothes,” says Daria, one of the first recipients of assistance under the joint program.

Families with children who need support can apply to the Belarusian Red Cross, fill out a financial assistance application and get a one-time bank wire transfer from UNICEF at any Belpochta post office. Families with children under 18 from Ukraine who arrived in Belarus in 2022 or 2023 are eligible to participate in the program. The minimum cash benefit is 525 BYN (the amount depends on the number of family members).

“The Belarusian Red Cross has been providing comprehensive support to migrants from Ukraine since March 2022. Mobile Aid Stations operated on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border; people were temporarily placed in health resorts and hostels in Belarus; and those in need still get temporary housing in Crisis Centers throughout the country, and they get humanitarian aid regularly (food, hygiene products, clothing). Now it is very important to create favorable environment for people who have decided to stay in Belarus and who need support. For them, financial assistance is an opportunity to buy everything they need and, for example, to pay for services,” says Dmitry Shevtsov, Secretary General of the Belarusian Red Cross.

Families can get detailed information about the program by calling the Belarusian Red Cross office in their city or district of residence. More information is also available at this link.

"Belpochta RUE, as the national postal operator of the Republic of Belarus, is a guarantor of the wire transfers necessary to provide targeted assistance to those in need. I would like to note that our company has the widest network of post offices in our country, as well as many years of experience in providing financial services. I am adamant that in challenging times cooperation between Belpochta, UNICEF and the Red Cross will ensure that social support will reach the most remote corners of our country, and thanks to the efficiency and professionalism of our company's employees, assistance will be provided in a timely manner. I would like to assure you that the charitable initiatives implemented by UNICEF in Belarus and the Red Cross will always be actively supported by Belpochta,” says Svetlana Yurkevich, CEO of Belpochta RUE.

Please provide your feedback on the program by clicking this link.