One month after launch, UNICEF and municipality of Budapest reach 1,400 children with cash program
BUDAPEST, 28 July 2023 – UNICEF, in partnership with the Municipality of Budapest, the Metropolitan Foundation for Social Policy, and the Hungarian Red Cross, have so far provided 800 refugee families from Ukraine with cash to help them meet the basic needs of 1,400 children.
Through the “Budapest Helps” cash transfer program, vulnerable households with children are identified and provided with one-off unconditional and unrestricted cash support and are referred to national and local social welfare systems such as health and education services, and psychological and legal assistance.
Over 5.8 million people – most of whom are women and children – have fled war in Ukraine, and found refuge in several countries in Europe. Many of the 36,000 Ukrainian families that have registered for Temporary Protection in Hungary are struggling to provide their children with safe and stable housing, learning materials and health care.
“The cash transfer program, designed in partnership with the Municipality of Budapest, will support households financially, as well as provide additional social protection and social welfare services for their children.”
“The number one priority for parents all over the world is to secure stability for their children, even under the most challenging circumstances,” explains Hadeel Ahmad, Social Policy Officer with UNICEF in Hungary. “Refugees arriving to a host country face multiple challenges, such as high costs of living, few job opportunities, and learning a new language. The cash transfer program, designed in partnership with the Municipality of Budapest, will support households financially, as well as provide additional social protection and social welfare services for their children.”
Ukrainian citizens and dual Ukrainian-Hungarian citizens with children, who have been granted Temporary Protection and reside in Budapest are eligible for the cash support.
For more information, please visit Budapest Helps website at https://help.budapest.hu/ (available in Hungarian, Ukrainian and Russian).
UNICEF support to children and families is enabled by our donors, such as the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).
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UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit https://www.unicef.org/eca/.
