DATE:
14/05/2009
TWO young boys living with the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster will miss out on the holiday of a lifetime unless the pleas of the Foyle and Donegal branch of the Chernobyl Children's Project International are heard.
Due to unforeseen circumstances two families that were to act as host to the two boys have been forced to pull-out of the project.
It means two replacement homes are required to host the boys aged eight to ten years for a two to four week period.
The children are due to arrive on July 6 and return home on July 31 and the race is on to find homes for the boys before a looming registration deadline passes.
Siobhan McNally, Secretary with the Charity and a host parent herself, said: "Research has shown that four weeks spent away from the devastating effects of the world's worst nuclear disaster adds two to three years to these children's lives and in addition brings great satisfaction and joy to the host families."
Siobhan and her colleagues in the Chernobyl Children's Project International are urgently appealing for local people to come forward and offer their services this summer.
Ann Bradley, Treasurer for the Charity, said: "I've hosted children from Chernobyl for several years now and I've always found it very rewarding.
"I saw it advertised in the local paper just after Christmas one year and we thought 'we could do that,' so we did it to try to help the children."
The two boys hail from the area of Belarus nearest the former Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, where the worst nuclear disaster in human history took place in 1986.
People in the Pripyat area of Ukraine and in nearby Belarus have been living with the devastating effects of excessive radiation levels ever since.
The boys will travel with a group of their compatriots provided host homes can be found in time.
The local branch of the Chernobyl Children's Project International have been bringing disadvantaged children to Londonderry since 1995. If you are able to help please contact Siobhan McNally on 07588866865 or Ann Bradley on 71266768 as soon as possible.
Source:
http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/Urgent-appeal-for-homes-for.5266704.jp
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