Plea for families to host Chernobyl children
A charity which provides a lifeline to children suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is looking for families in the West Midlands to host the youngsters.
Chernobyl Children's Lifeline provides short respite breaks in the UK for youngsters who are still suffering ill effects 34 years after the infamous explosion at the city's nuclear power plant.
Organiser Ann Becke said four weeks spent in the relatively unpolluted environment of the West Midlands will add two years to the lives of children from areas still affected by the 1986 disaster.
Mrs Becke co-founded the Kinver branch of the Chernobyl Children's Lifeline charity in 1994, and has been hosting children from the region ever since.
But she said the branch, which now covers the Dudley, Wolverhampton and Bridgnorth areas, was short of a few host families for this year's summer trip due to illness.
She said the charity was looking for people to host the youngsters for a minimum of one week and a maximum of four weeks between July 25 and August 22. It was also looking for someone to host their interpreter for one or two weeks during the period.
"We have organised trips out and lots of activities during their stay so there is always something to do," said Mrs Becke.
Dr Zolovock, director of the children's hospital in the Soligorsk region of Belarus, said: "We are the hostages to the hazardous aftermath of radiation and the future of our very race is threatened with extinction, as our children, our gene pool is seriously ill.
"In the midst of this tragedy, we have been given hope by the people of the UK. Thank you for supporting the lives of our children."
Mrs Becke said the recent television drama had raised the profile of the disaster, but many people did not realise the effects it still has on people living in the region, due to polluted air and contaminated food.
"We all tend to think that Chernobyl was a long time ago and sometimes forget that the legacy of such a disaster lives on and on," she said.
"The children of Belarus face adversity of a degree that is difficult to comprehend.
"The children’s visit here is a bright spot in their lives and I also believe that the memories they take back and the friendships they have made help sustain them in the future. I believe this is especially true for the orphans."
The charity is looking for people able to host youngsters aged eight to 12, ideally within a 10-mile radius of Kinver. For more information contact Mrs Becke on 07711 154401 or see the website ccll.org.uk/ho/
