Ukrainian pensioners received 2 billion hryvnias from the UN World Food Programme

Thanks to generous funding from Germany, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, and private donors, WFP transferred more than UAH 2 billion (US$48.5 million) in the last twelve months to pensioners living in areas defined by the government as territories of active or possible hostilities. 

The programme was launched in August 2023 to provide cash assistance to vulnerable pensioners whose monthly pensions are below UAH 3,250 (US$81). People benefiting from this programme had not received any form of assistance since March 2023, such as living allowances for IDP, or cash assistance from international organizations. They receive a monthly cash top-up equal to the difference between their current pension and UAH 3,250. 

The programme is active until the end of the year.

"We actively cooperate with international partners to provide support to Ukrainians who need it most in conditions of limited financial resources. The joint project with the UN WFP has become a successful example of such synergy. Thanks to this project, it became possible to provide assistance to the most vulnerable elderly Ukrainians, who did not have the opportunity to apply for it on their own," said First Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Daria Marchak.

“We know that Ukraine had strong social assistance systems in place before the war, and this project is a prime example of how we can build on them in this difficult time to support the most vulnerable,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Ukraine. “It's not only cost-efficient for us, but also very convenient for old-age pensioners to receive the assistance they need without applying for it or submitting documentation,” Ragan added.

Cash assistance is one of many ways WFP supports Ukrainians affected by the war. WFP also distributes food boxes in areas closest to the frontline, where food is hard to find or very expensive, supports daily hot meals for 90,000 schoolchildren across the country, and helps small farmers and rural families resume agricultural work safely by surveying land and clearing remnants of war in the Kharkiv region. WFP also chartered 25 vessels to export Ukrainian grain to countries in need through the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the President’s Grain From Ukraine Initiative.

For more information please contact:  

Nataliia Nychai, WFP/Kyiv, +380 664493921, nataliia.nychai@wfp.org

Antoine Vallas, WFP/Kyiv, +380 952501154, antoine.vallas@wfp.org