“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings”

Christmas Message 2017

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings”, Goethe.

A Chara, Dear Friend and Supporter

For Chernobyl Children International 2017 was a year in which, despite ongoing fallout from the infamous nuclear disaster of 1986, a ‘Beacon of Hope’ has been lit and maintained that has the possibility to change the futures of so many.

As part of CCI’s commitment to give the children ‘wings’, we have worked tirelessly to provide vulnerable children living in Chernobyl’s nuclear shadow.

Roots

We believe that children belong where their interests are best met – in loving, caring families, not in orphanages. Our programmes endeavour to break the cycle of poverty and abandonment and give children a chance to live in a home and with a real family.

Wings

In 2017 CCI pioneered both a Rights Restoration and Life-Skills Programmes to build, through education, the capacity and ability amongst the residents of Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum. These education-based programmes will build the skills and capacity of the children and young adults, from a young age, to an age-appropriate level of self-sufficiency, literacy and numeracy as well as a range of vocational skills.
Legacy

This year we commemorated the inaugural United Nations ‘Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day’. This will be our legacy to the future generations of Chernobyl’s victims and survivors. It is the first time in 31 years that the International Community were globally welcomed to come together to commemorate this cataclysmic disaster and its innocent victims.

This year, once again, Irish volunteers and Irish funded medical missions continue to be on the “front line” of Chernobyl and without them we would not be able to undertake any of our work. I am forever indebted for the immeasurable contribution they have made in the lives of those who need it most.

Thank you for your ongoing support in 2017 and I look forward to a New Year in which we can make further strides towards freedom and equality for all.

Wishing you a Happy and Peaceful Christmas. Nollaig Shona agus Athbhliain Faoi Mhaise Duit.

Adi