Chernobyl Children's Life Line - Sherborne and Yeovil Link

Background

On the 26th. April 1986 the world's worst nuclear accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power station which is located on the northern borders of the Ukraine and Belarus. As a result of this catastrophe, a considerable part of the Belarusian territory, populated by over 11 million people, was contaminated and remains contaminated to this day. Hundreds of villages and towns have ceased to be habitable and much of the population of Belarus has suffered and continues to suffer from cancer or leukemia as a result of the initial fallout and the constant exposure to contaminated land and food. Some 1.5 million children are suffering from these diseases or at high risk of contracting diseases resulting from the nuclear fallout.

Sherborne and Yeovil Link

Like similar organisations across the UK the Sherborne & Yeovil link of the Chernobyl Children Life Line brings over from Belarus between twelve and fifteen children each year for a period of one month to boost the children's immune systems and to provide a respite from the often harsh and difficult conditions in which they are living. These children are selected by the local Chernobyl Children Life Line in Belarus on the basis of social and health needs. Local families in Sherborne and the surrounding area, provide much needed love and care entirely at their own expense for the period during which the children are with us.

The Sherborne and Yeovil Link is managed by a committee of volunteers and they are in turn assisted by a number of local people who help by hosting children, assisting with fundraising and with the activities which are arranged for the children when they visit our area.

The Children

If you could  see the enjoyment on the faces of the children who come over to Sherborne each year, I am sure you would agree that this is a very worthwhile cause. Typical of the responses we receive from Belarus after the children have visited was from one of the parents who wrote to say "My daughter now looks different. She always smiles, she is really happy. I think she will never forget her trip to England " A medical practitioner in Belarus commented that one month in the UK adds at least two years to the life of every child!

The children are normally in the age range 10-15 years and generally require no more looking after than any other children of this age. They may have suffered from radiation related illnesses or have a depleted immune system or they may be lucky enough to have so far escaped the consequences of the disaster. The aim during their stay in the area is to provide them with a good healthy diet and to give them lots of love and fun.

Generally there are joint activities arranged for the children on weekdays during their visit ranging from sight seeing in London, to trips to the seaside and visits to places such as the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovil.

We can usually meet the requests of host families for children of a certain age or sex. Some families look after only one child but some prefer to have more than one. As you would expect, host families are subject to the normal checks you would expect when looking after children.

An interpreter accompanies the children and he or she is always available for translating or for advice and will visit each family early on during the visit to ensure that the children have settled in.

The help we need

Although the host families meet all the costs of looking after the children whilst they are in Dorset and Somerset, we need to raise around £5,000 each year to cover the costs of airfares for the children and to provide a range of activities for them whilst they are in the UK In addition to financial help, we are seeking help from families who might, for example, be prepared to host children next August or who could lend some time to assist us with the activities which take place during the children's stay in the area.

Fundraising

On the fundraising side,there are a number of activities planned or already underway ranging from raffles, sponsored events, coffee mornings, etc., to stalls on local markets selling cakes and bric-a-brac. All of this takes a lot of work and any assistance you can provide would be most welcome, even if this is simply baking a cake for us to sell at one of our events.

You may make a donation through PayPal or a Credit Card using this PayPal button  

Contacts

If you think you can help in any way or you would just like more information about Chernobyl Children Life Line, please contact any of the following people:

Committee members

Glennis Thomas (Chairperson):01935 814717

Kate Livingstone (Depute Chairperson) 01935 479201

Bridget Hill (Treasurer): 01963 440818

Archie Thomas (Secretary): 01935 814717