The Adi Roche Chernobyl Children’s charity (CCI) joined forces with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Belarus last month, by donating €10,000 to UNICEF Belarus’ COVID-19 Flash Appeal Response.
All funds raised through this appeal are directed to provide immediate procurement needs to prevent and control infection, as well as to ensure education and social protection facilities providing support for frontline workers and children and their families to remain safe.
Vesnova Orphanage, one of CCI’s flagship De-institutionalisation projects in Belarus, has confirmed cases of Covid 19. These children were hospitalized for care and CCI has worked with the institution staff to take all steps possible to prevent further infection.
Chernobyl Children International are working with UNICEF Belarus to ensure that sanitising agents, medicine and PPE are provided for the children and staff who are residing and working in institutions throughout Belarus. This week, the first of many aid deliveries has arrived at 9 children’s institutions in various areas throughout Belarus. 450 protective screens for children with disabilities were delivered to the children in Venovo, Cherven, Vasilichi, Minsk, Bogushevsk, Gomel, Rechitsa and Ivenza. The delivery of these items was organised by UNICEF and items were funded by CCI.
CCI has already made several deliveries of much needed medicines and general aid items to Vesnovo in response to the crisis. The charity was one of the first responders to the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986 and has invested €3.5 million over the last 34 years to improving the plight faced by children abandoned to institutional care by addressing urgent needs of children and young people in Vesnovo Institution and advancing many deinstitutionalisation programmes to find solutions for children to be living in family supported care or assisted living options.
Volunteer CEO Adi Roche said, “We have entered into a formal agreement with UNICEF to collaborate in the work of bringing much needed support to the children in Vesnovo and other children and their families in institutions and other facilities to be better protected from COVID-19.”
“We have been working closely with the Belarusian Mogilev Oblast Committee of Labour and Social Protection since the outbreak at Vesnovo was detected and we are delighted to be co-operating with UNICEF in trying to limit the spread of the virus, including among some of the most vulnerable children as those in Vesnovo who already have comprised immunity due to their complex disabilities,” said Ms Roche.
To date CCI has invested €107 million worth of aid and operates several life-altering programmes in Belarus and Ukraine which provide hope and alleviate the suffering of the victims of the Chernobyl Disaster.
