80 miles north of Kiev in the Northern Ukraine is a town
that prior to 1986, no-one had heard of.
Then on the 26 April 1986 the No 4 reactor at the Chernobyl
nuclear power station in the northern Ukraine, overheated, exploded, then went in to melt-down.
The world's worst nuclear accident released 190 tons
of highly radioactive waste material into the atmosphere exposing the people of Chernobyl to radioactivity 90 times greater
than that from the explosion of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
Few details were given initially as the Soviet government
attempted to cover up the incident, however following a great deal of international pressure the full horror of the incident
was slowly released. A huge area around the plant was devastated by the explosion and the ensuing radioactive contamination
spread over the neighbouring countries. To this day there is nothing growing where once agriculture was the main occupation
of the common man. Further afield cattle still graze on contaminated land thus causing the population to be continuously exposed
to radiation via the food chain.
As part of the former Soviet Union, Belarussia
lies in the shadow of Chernobyl, the southern border being only 15 kilometres from the plant. The wind direction on the day
of the disaster caused the majority of the fallout to be directed towards the Belorussian towns of Gomel and Mogilev.
Of the radiation that was released by Chernobyl, over 70% fell onto the population of Belarus resulting in 800,000 children
in Belarus and 380,000 in the Ukraine being at a high risk of contracting cancer or leukaemia.
It will be another 24,000 years before the land is safe
and the children no longer suffer.
Friends of Chernobyl's Children is a registered charity
which devotes its energies to raising funds to bring children, who are at risk, from Belarussia to the United Kingdom for
a month every year. The charity targets children from orphanages or disadvantaged homes, aged between six and thirteen. These
children are in great need and come from social situations that make it difficult for them to get the care they require at
home.
During their stay in the UK the children live with host
families and take part in a huge range of activities developed to meet both their recreational and medical needs.
The host families care for the children, providing a
friendly stable environment, nourishing food and lots of loving care. The charity meanwhile organises daily activities, medical
checks and plenty of good clean fresh air and fun.
This help however does not end when the children return
to Belarus. The Friends of Chernobyl's Children also provide a twelve month supply of vitamins and any essential medicines,
clothes and food for both the children and their families in order to maintain the benefits of their visit throughout the
year.
It has been proven that care of this nature substantially
boosts the children's shattered immune systems and enables them to enjoy a healthier, fuller and longer life. A month of your
care can extend a child's life span by one to two years - this is a medical fact.
It is the aim of the charity to repeat this treatment
for each child every twelve months in order to help them live a life we all take for granted.
Olwyn Keogh MBE, Charity Director, Registered
Charity No. 1049689
Friends of Chernobyl Children website (click here)
