Municipal nanny and baby-box: Cabinet comes up with initiatives to raise birth rate

Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman says the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from January 1, 2019, will introduce compensation payments for hiring a babysitter in the amount of about UAH 1,500 a month until the child reaches the age of three.

"Here's a new tradition we're introducing starting September 1, 2018. Now every family where a baby is born will receive a special baby-box from the state," Groysman said at a government meeting, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

According to Groysman, the initiative is aimed at having everything a mother and family need to take care of a child at the first stages of their life.

Read also"Shocking" 97% shortfall in humanitarian funding for Ukraine’s conflict-affected – IOM"Today we're introducing this tradition to support the birth rate, i.e. hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families where children are born will receive such additional targeted support. Another case is where a mother gives birth, but she must still think about continuing working. And we must support the mother in first months and years and give her an opportunity to hire a babysitter... And we introduce such a thing as 'municipal nanny.' This could operate from January 1, but in September this will be reflected in the draft budget 2019," the prime minister said.

According to Groysman, families or single mothers will be compensated about UAH 1,500 a month for firing a nanny until the child reaches the age of three.

Groysman also added that other initiatives were yet to come to this end.