Minister: About a hundred children have come to Lithuania from Ukraine to be parents, another hundred are expected
About a hundred children have not arrived in Lithuania from Ukraine at the moment, unaccompanied by their parents, another hundred are expected to arrive next week, the Minister of Social Security and Labor Monika Navickienė informed.
“We are waiting for an additional hundred children to arrive, and we will definitely have additional groups of children,” Ms Navickienė said during a press conference in Trakai on Saturday.
The Minister visited Trakai on Saturday, where 43 children from foster homes in Ukraine are being accommodated, and another 21 children in Visaginas. According to the data provided by Ms. Navickienė, 31 single children from Ukraine also came with their family members, and six children came to Lithuania with relatives alone.
“We are receiving a large number of Lithuanian residents who would agree to take care of their children, more than 200 families are already a sign of such an opportunity, the fact that we not only want to provide a home for all children,” said the Minister.
According to her, only one child who has come to Lithuania needs a guardian so far, those children who come from a Ukrainian care home and will live together in Lithuania.
“The need for care in Lithuania is only for one child, those children who are in institutional care, they live together and will live together,” M. Navickienė noted.
She stated that the accommodation conditions for children in Trakai are also cozy, but asked not to seek contact with them, because “psychological experiences are still very pronounced, the feeling must recover, now the most important thing is peace.”
The Minister also provided data that there are currently 1,600 refugees from Ukraine in Lithuania, about 700 of whom are children.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine last week and started a war to outrage the world. Western states responded to the invasion with harsh sanctions on Russia and full support for Ukraine, including military support.