Chernobyl Children International Lecture

On Tuesday the 18th of September, we recieved a lecture from Siobheal Nic Eochaidh, the 2011 Dublin Rose in the Rose of Tralee and her escort. They were part of a group of Rose of Tralee contestants who recently went on a trip to an orphanage in Vesnova, Belarus. Even thought the disaster occured in Chernobyl it greatly affected those living in Belarus, and many children are born with disabilities. In Belarus, if a child is born with any disability, they are immediately sent to an asylum, this includes every disability, even something as managable as ADHD. The group spent most of their time playing with the children and looking after them. The group managed to raise over 25,000 euro for the asylum. As soon as a child reaches the age of 18, they will be moved to an adult asylum, where peadophiles and rapists are also detained. Chernobyl Children International was set up in the wake of the disaster by Adi Roche, an Irish woman. The charity tries to raise funds for these children, lobbies the Belarusian government on their laws and organises trips to Ireland for the children.