About 24,000 children from over 300 kindergartens and 40 community centers in the most underprivileged settlements of the country will receive Lego toys to the total value of half a million dollars. The first batch of toys will be delved to Kindergarten No. 1 in Puhoi village of Ialoveni district on October 10. The donation was possible owing to a partnership between UNICEF and Lego Foundation and the assistance of the Embassy of Denmark in Chisinau. UNICEF Moldova press officer Irina Lipcanu has told Info-Prim Neo that the list of kindergartens that will receive toys was compiled by the Ministry of Education. It includes kindergartens situated in the poorest settlements, where the local authorities cannot afford to buy toys. The donated Lego toys are recognized worldwide because they stimulate the intellectual and social development of the children. According to UNICEF data, 38% of the rural children in Moldova live in poverty. The kindergartens in the deprived settlements do not have books and creative toys stimulating the child’s development. A UNICEF study shows that 25% of the children, mainly from poor families, do not have toys and books. The donation ceremony in Puhoi will be attended by Ambassador of Denmark Michael Sternberg, UNICEF Representative in Moldova Alexandra Yuster, Minister of Education Mihail Shleahtitski, and World Bank Country Manager for Moldova Abdoulaye Seck.