Programmes
CHERNOBYL CHILDREN’S TRUST CORE PROGRAMMES INCLUDE
Summer and Christmas Holidays here in Ireland:
Every year, we fly children from contaminated and disadvantaged areas of Belarus to Ireland for much needed holidays. The children stay with host families in organised groups in various parts of Ireland. Visiting children are placed in pairs with families usually for a period of two or four weeks. Weekly activities are organised by one of our local groups and translators are available at all times throughout the children’s stay. To take a child out of a contaminated area even for a few weeks can boost their immune system and generally instil a sense of positivity which can be lacking in many of their lives. Hosting these amazing children can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life.
(Please note all potential host families must undergo vetting procedures).
Medical Interventions
We sponsor life changing and sometimes lifesaving medical treatment and interventions for children in Belarus and where necessary fly them abroad for specialist treatment.
Holidays in Belarus
We also provide holidays within Belarus for children who are unable to travel abroad. It is not always possible or practical to fly some children to Ireland for a holiday but where possible we try to fund holidays in special holiday camps in their own country. Funds are always in short supply for this so your help is needed!
If you wish to sponsor a holiday for a child in Belarus please click here!
CLICK HERE for Map of where the children come from
White Dove
We work in partnership with a Belarusian organisation called “White Dove over Chernobyl”. This programme provides respite care and medical support to families that have chosen to keep their seriously ill and profoundly disabled children at home in the family environment rather than giving them up to state care as was the norm in Belarus. We have employed local Belarusian nurses to provide respite and support to these extraordinary families. This is supplemented by volunteer medical professionals who travel from Ireland at regular intervals. Through this programme we also provide medical and humanitarian aid including wheelchairs, special disability equipment, adult and baby nappies and medication.
Holiday Camps for Special Kidz!
This is a wonderful way for volunteers to engage directly with very special children. The volunteers travel in a group from Ireland to spend one week living in a holiday camp in Belarus. Volunteers provide care & entertainment for the Children and a little respite for the parents so that they too can have a little holiday from the difficulties and stresses of round the clock care for their very precious Children. This is supplementary to the White Dove programme and is hugely successful and popular both with the Irish volunteers that travel to Belarus and more importantly, the families of the Children being cared for, in this very important programme. Volunteers fundraise in advance to cover associated costs.
If you are interested in being a holiday camp volunteer, please click here!
Alternative to Orphanages:
Children’s (Pedagogical) Centers: This is a relatively new concept in Belarus and implements progressive initiatives in the prevention of permanent institutionalisation of Children, as was traditionally the norm for Children from ‘problem’ families. A Pedagogical Center is a type of ‘Halfway House’ whereby children from families with social/economic difficulties are placed in care for a maximum period of six months while the family difficulties are dealt with by social workers. The idea is that the Children should be returned to the family unit at the earliest opportunity and thus prevent institutionalisation in a state orphanage. Generally, the centers are very well run but lack resources and equipment and sometimes the buildings are in a poor state of repair. Chernobyl Children’s Trust is committed to supporting the Pedagogical concept and the closure of orphanages and works with both local organizations and the Belarusian dept of education to achieve this. We have renovated a number of buildings in various locations through a series of building projects, in addition to the provision of playgrounds, humanitarian aid and equipment to progress this very effective alternative to orphanages in Belarus.
At ‘Starye Dorogi’:
One of the centres being supported by the Trust, the Pedagogical concept is taken a step further by making provision for Children that remain in state care, providing training for independent living for their post- orphanage lives. This programme also involves a siblings’ reunification programme whereby brothers or sisters of children in different orphanages can be traced and reunited. While the primary objective is always reunification of Children with their biological families, the realities sometimes are that this will never happen and fostering and training for independent living are secondary but real alternatives to ensure that no Child ‘falls through the net’.
Building Renovation Belarus:
This is a Partnership programme, involving volunteer trades people from Ireland flying to Belarus and working side by side with their Belarusian counterparts to completely over-haul buildings to best possible standards. Chernobyl Children’s Trust renovates and equips buildings used by child support agencies and organisations working to develop communities throughout Belarus.
Humanitarian Aid:
This is a vital life-line of support to marginalised communities and a unique opportunity for volunteers to witness first-hand, the realities of life in today’s Belarus. Our volunteer drivers make the arduous journey from Ireland across Europe to personally deliver humanitarian aid to the end users. The provision of ‘clean’ imported food and other essential items to communities in Belarus and the provision of specialised vehicles and equipment to community based organisations can literally change people’s lives.
Family Support & Community Development:
The support of local communities in disadvantaged areas of Belarus continues to be one of the primary goals for Chernobyl Children’s Trust. Improving the lives of families in rural villages throughout Belarus is a priority. Winters are harsh with temperatures often as low as minus 30°C! We regularly find families living in villages without the basic requirements for survival. In the current economic climate, marginalized families are finding it more and more difficult to survive. We work in cooperation with Belarusian government agencies by providing resources and training for local community organisations that are trying to develop their areas. We also provide direct support to rural village families and especially ‘at risk’ children on a needs basis. Support is needed more now than ever before. As little as €10 per month can help feed a hungry child.
Please click here to donate now to help at risk children.
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