Friends of Chernobyl's Children - Northallerton - Alison Shepherd Co-ordinator Tel:01609 772445 / 07795 142855

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Friends of Chernobyl's Children (UK) is a charity founded in 1995 that brings children, who are at medical and social risk from the after effects of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, from Belarus to the UK for a month every year. Every year more than 1,000 children come to Britain from orphanages or disadvantaged homes staying with host families. They are given a full year's supply of vitamins and medicine for them and, where possible, other members of their family.

In April 1986 an accident occurred in a nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union. A fire broke out in the power station at Chernobyl in the Ukraine. The fire spread and the reactor went into melt down. The resultant explosion released an enormous quantity of radioactive chemicals into the atmosphere. Within 21 days this cloud had contaminated the countryside of half a dozen countries, even spreading as far as the UK. The people of Belarus and the Ukraine were exposed to radiation 300 times greater than that released at the explosion of the first atomic bomb at Hiroshima. Ironically, because of the wind direction Ukraine suffered less than its immediate neighbour, Belarus; only 15 kilometres from the plant. Rain in the days immediately after the explosion meant that areas of Gomel and Mogilev in Belarus suffered even greater problems. Some 70% of the fall-out from Chernobyl fell on Belarus and it will be another 24,000 years before the land there is safe. There has been an increase of 800% in the incidence of cancers in children living near to the reactor. Thyroid cancer is up 3,000%. There has been an even greater increase in leukaemia, diabetes and kidney disease and damage to the immune systems in the 7-12 years age group. There has also been a dramatic increase in the rate of babies with substantial physical disabilities, babies born limbless or with severe brain damage.

Tags: Charity Organization,Community Organization