Children of Chernobyl Program

Look below for Margaret's essay
Click
here for a mission trip update dated May 2, 2008
Click
here for a mission trip update dated May 6, 2008
Click
here for a mission trip update dated May 7, 2008
About the Program
On
October 4, 2007
the Children of Chernobyl program was honored for its work in helping the
world’s vulnerable children at the ninth annual Angels in Adoption gala,
sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI).
Congressman James Moran presented the Children of Chernobyl committee with
an award at the ceremony on Capital Hill. We are very pleased with the
recognition our program has received and hope it will generate greater
public awareness of the long-term effects of radiation and support for the
program.
The Children of Chernobyl mission at Christ
Church is in its 14th
year. The founder of the program was the late Joe Bailey, a photographer for
National Geographic, who went to Belarus after the Chernobyl nuclear
disaster that occurred in April 1986.
Moved by the desperate situation of
the people of Belarus, particularly the children whose immune systems were
seriously compromised by radiation, he returned in 1992 to distribute needed
medical and food supplies. While there, he learned about international
efforts to evacuate children for recuperative trips to western nations, and
determined to involve Christ Church in these efforts.
Today, Christ Church hosts between 15-20
children for six weeks each summer, and works with other churches to bring
more than 60 children to Northern Virginia to enjoy clean food, water,
dental care, and experience life in another culture. Altogether, Christ
Church has hosted more than 200 children in the last fourteen years. They
have all gone home with dental care that is not available in their country,
winter clothing and medical supplies for the children of the family, and
happy memories.
Studies have shown that even a short six-week
visit helps restore health. A radiobiologist from the Academy of Sciences of
the Republic of Belarus found that all 76 children who were immune deficient
before their travel abroad had normal cell function within six months after
their return. “The overwhelming majority of children state the improvement
of their health, disappearance of headaches, dizziness, irritability,
tearfulness; improvement of sleep, desire to study and go in for sports
after their rest.” One young woman, Julia, who came on the program in the
early 1990s and is now a student at the prestigious Linguistic University in
Minsk, wrote:
“Of course, my health has improved and
my teeth are better than that of many of my friends, who were not able to
receive dental care in a timely manner.
But the most important thing is I have
become kinder myself . . .
Just to know that somebody, who is not
a relative or a social worker, somebody who lives thousands of miles away
from you, in other words, someone who doesn’t have to help you, but is
willing to . . . it fills your heart with warmth and appreciation.
It feels like these people touch your
soul.”
To learn more about this award-winning program please contact the Chair of
the
COC
committee, Mary Beth Stein.
Click
here to send Mary Beth and email.
Margaret
Hudak and Veranika Mikutel at the beach
Children of
Chernobyl
Summer 2009
The following essay was written by Margaret Hudak,
5th
grader at
Belle
View
Elementary School, for the
PTA
Reflections Program 2008/2009. This entry earned Margaret an Award of
Excellence from the Fairfax County Council
PTA
in the literature category for her grade. Margaret and her parents, Ron
Hudak and Susan Hahn, shared their home and hearts for the past two
summers with a child from
Belarus.
Margaret obviously understands the mission behind this program and the
importance of giving to others in need.
WOW Is Up to You
Wow is accomplishing something, like
climbing to the top of
Mount Everest,
or running for one week straight to fight breast cancer.
Wow is also surviving from an accident or a
disease.
The first man ever to walk on the moon was a
Wow!
I hope one day man will walk on Mars.
But what I think is
Wow,
is taking someone to the beach for the very first time. Over the summer
I hosted a student from
Belarus.
Her name is Veranika.
She is 12 years old and had never seen the
beach; she had only seen it in pictures but never went!
Over the summer she dreamed of going to the beach,
and I am glad we were together. When she first walked on the sand and
smiled!
For the first time she smelled the salty air,
walked on the sand and let the wind blow her hair. When we went back
inside our hair was blown up and sticky.
I was happy that Veranika's dream came true.
Now that's what I call
WOW.
Note: For this same competition, last year, Margaret wrote about
Veranika’s first visit with Children of Chernobyl to
Virginia.
The
PTA’s
Reflection theme was “I can make a difference…” Margaret’s essay was
based on how she could make a difference being a friend to Veranika
including a description of how the Children of Chernobyl program helps
the kids be healthy when they go home. In this competition Margaret
received an Award of Excellence at the District level.
For the past fourteen years members of this congregation have hosted
children for six weeks during the summer. These children live in regions
contaminated by the 1986 nuclear explosion at
Chernobyl.
The benefits of these respite visits have an amazing affect on the
physical well being of a child. Unfortunately political conditions have
brought this program to an impasse and it does not appear likely that
children will be coming to the
United States
this summer. Fortunately last spring members of this Mission Committee
traveled to
Belarus
to forge partnerships with children’s programs operating with in the
country. Plans are being made to support two non-profit organizations
that assist disabled children unable to enjoy the benefits of summer
respites outside of
Belarus.
We are also in the process of developing a program to collect and send
used eyeglasses to
Belarus.