Home-visiting service helps families and children stay safe
Parents across Ukraine can receive specialist advice about child vaccination from home-visiting nurses.
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It has been seven months since Hanna gave birth to little Maria. In that time, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, a new home-visiting nursing service has been a crucial source of support for this growing family.
"We did all the vaccinations for our first child,” says Hanna. “But by the time the second child was born, we had become a little anxious. So the nurse's advice helped us a lot."
Hanna received answers to all her questions about childhood from a specially-trained nurse in her home, as part of the free Home Visiting Programme run by the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"I prepare notes, write down questions that I have. And the nurse comes and explains everything. We have enough time to discuss everything.”
Home-visiting nurse Tetiana Zarytska regularly visits children aged 0 to 3 years in the Bucha community, in Ukraine’s Kyivska region.
"I come around the sixth or seventh day [after birth], then again at 14 days, one month, three months, five and a half, eight, eleven, and so on,” Tetiana explains. “If the children are sick or need to be breastfed, I come more often.”
During her visits, the nurse emphasizes the critical role of immunization, provides guidance on vaccine availability, and addresses any misconceptions or concerns about the vaccination process.
"We have already been vaccinated against rotavirus,” says Hanna. “Today, we are going to get the polio vaccine.”
Staff at the Bucha Primary Health Care Centre, which was renovated with UNICEF support, received training as part of the home-based care programme in May and have been actively implementing the programme in their community since June.
"After consulting with nurses at home, many families decide to get the compulsory vaccinations and pay attention to the recommended ones. They are even more interested in vaccines that are currently not available in Ukraine. This is a project about support, the relationship and communication between a doctor, a nurse and a family.”
The early years are pivotal for a child's harmonious growth and development. From the last trimester of pregnancy to the first thousand days after birth, the foundation of the child's nervous system is laid. A home visiting programme plays a crucial role in identifying risks early and ensuring the well-being of children thereafter.
The programme operates across 12 regions in Ukraine – Volynska, Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Kharkivska, Zhytomyrska, Zakarpatska, Kirovohradska, Lvivska, Poltavska, Rivnenska, Chernihivska, Kyivska and Kyiv city.
The programme is implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, with financial support from the Governments of Spain and Japan, Citi Bank and UNICEF offices in Spain and the Netherlands. Thanks to the support of the European Union, UNICEF has conducted 15 training sessions for more than 500 doctors and nurses from 200 institutions in 11 regions of Ukraine.
