Minister of Human Resources Zoltán Balog declared in Jánoshalma that 20 000 children living in deep poverty will be supported through the recently launched Együtt egymásért ("Together for Each Other") programme. The program will be implemented using HUF 428 million in EU funding.

The Minister said that children are our future and when we help them we secure our own future, adding that the goal of the programme is to reduce child poverty.

He emphasized that new opportunities would emerge for children and their parents within the framework of the complex programme dedicated to improving living standards.

Zoltán Balog recalled that during the first round of the program in 2007, backed unanimously by every parliamentary party, the five most disadvantaged regions received HUF 2.6 billion in funding, while in the newly launched second round, the micro-regions of Jánoshalma, Szigetvár, Sarkad, Mezőcsát, Ózd and Csenger are to be supported.

The Minister of Human resources remarked that it is important to educate parents on how to provide for their children, adding that it is also important to transform the child protection system, meaning that from 2014 the majority of state-supported children under 12 will be placed under the supervision of foster parents instead of institutions.

(Ministry of Human Resources)