Chernobyl: Twenty Four Years On

Sasha Kharkv

The Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) was established by Adi Roche in 1991 in the aftermath of the world’s worst nuclear disaster which occurred at Chernobyl in 1986 and is one of the leading international NGO accredited charities at the forefront of development work in Belarus. In 19 years the charity has evolved its programmes to meet the development challenges of a truly long-term disaster. As a direct result of the charity’s intervention, the quality of life of thousands of children from the Chernobyl zones has been improved immeasurably. 

The overall objective of the Project is to develop medical and humanitarian programmes that facilitate long-term sustainable community-based solutions, building up local capacity and directly benefiting local communities including children and adults.

On Monday, 26th April 2010 will mark the 24th Anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.In recognition of this anniversary, Chernobyl Children’s Project International will once again roll out National Chernobyl Week (26th April to 2nd May) to commemorate and honour the children and adults who live with the social, economic and medical deprivation as a result of the disaster which happened 24 years ago.  

This commemorative week will give Chernobyl Children’s Project International (CCPI) the opportunity to raise awareness of the work of the charity and raise additional funds to support one of the most important programmes of the charity, the child Cardiac Surgery Programme. Every year in Belarus and in Ukraine thousands of children are born with a condition known as ‘Chernobyl Heart’. Many of these children have been deemed ‘inoperable’ and beyond hope. CCPI in conjunction with one of the world’s top cardiac surgeons, Dr William Novick, perform life-saving operations to save these children and give them back a normal life.  

Dr Novick pioneered research on the condition previously known as ‘Chernobyl Heart’ and prioritises the Chernobyl heart condition. Dr Novick made history in 2004, when he appeared in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘Chernobyl Heart’. For over 5 years he has developed the Chernobyl Children’s Project International Cardiac Surgery Programme in Belarus and expanded this hugely successful programme into Ukraine last year, where volunteer cardiac missions were delivered across four of the main cities of Kiev, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Odessa. Dr Novick’s primary focus is on improving the care of disadvantaged children in need of critical cardiac surgery. For every €1,000 we raise CCPI can perform an operation that will give back hope to these children and their families. For every €50,000 raised or donated we can send whole cardiac missions to the Chernobyl zones – where we can save many more lives, provide essential surgical equipment and train and educate local surgeons to deliver even more operations year on year. 

We are seeking a network of volunteers including schools and students nationwide to sell €2 charity pins/pens in towns, cities and villages during Chernobyl Week. Each CCPI branded box can be delivered direct to your school or contact address for distribution.

We will also have information cards in each box which gives background information on the charity and the work we do. We are also looking for coordinators who would be happy to coordinate teams of volunteers in each area i.e. take the names of the volunteers, give out the boxes and liaise with the Chernobyl Children’s Project International office.

We are appealing to students and teachers all over Ireland to give whatever help they can so we can offer hope to live to children with the Chernobyl Heart condition. If you or your network of friends and family have any free time to sell pins/pens, please sign up to help us raise more funds to continue our work.  

Please call Paula Kilcommons on 021- 4312999 or email:   

pkilcommons@chernobyl-ireland.com 

For further information please visit our website:

www.chernobyl-international.com