UNICEF launches its first regional parenting app in Europe and Central Asia

GENEVA, 19 November 2021 – Today, UNICEF, together with national governments and partners, is releasing “Bebbo”, the first regional mobile parenting app designed to support parents and other caregivers of children from 0 to 6 years old.

This free parenting support app– which will initially be launched in 11 countries in Europe and Central Asia[1] – will provide parents with expert advice on a large range of child health and development issues, from nutrition and breastfeeding to early learning and the value of play, responsive parenting, protection, and safety. It will also include specific guidance for parents and caregivers on how to care for their own well-being.

To accompany parents during the first years of their children's lives, Bebbo also includes features allowing parents to track key development milestones, and record growth, vaccinations, and health check-ups.

“The first years of life are critical for the development of children and will have a fundamental impact on their lives as adults. With this new app, we want to give all parents an extra tool to guide them in the demanding journey of parenting” said Afshan Khan, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “I encourage all parents to download Bebbo, a free, easy-to-use app, and give their children a good start, for a lifetime.”

The regional Bebbo app was developed in close collaboration with UNICEF Serbia and their national partners, where the first prototype of the app was created and tested. Over the coming months, Bebbo will be available in 12 languages across 11 countries - Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo*, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan). In each country, UNICEF worked closely with our partners and early childhood development experts to ensure this mobile app is tailored for local use and meets national needs.

“Bebbo is part of our broader efforts to equip parents across Europe and Central Asia with timely, quality guidance on how to support the growth, development, and wellbeing of their children” added Ms. Khan. “This is particularly important when direct contact with service providers is not possible or made more difficult, including in the context of the current pandemic”.

Across Europe and Central Asia, UNICEF continues to work closely with national governments to bolster the capacities of parents and families with young children, including through new national parenting support programmes aimed at reaching and supporting caregivers of the most vulnerable children and in the most remote areas.

[1] Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

* All references to Kosovo should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).