About Chernobyl Aid Devon

...Belarus is a landlocked country with no natural resources. It is essentially an agricultural economy, where the wages are extremely low. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, and reeling under having received 70% of the Chernobyl Fallout, Belarus was struggling to cope.

Workers on State Farms were working for subsistence wages, in some cases they had not been paid for months as the farms were running at a loss.

Families were living in contaminated areas, as there was nowhere else to go, and life in high rise apartment blocks in the cities was totally alien to an essentially country dwelling people.

The whole fabric of society was struggling with little financial or practical support.

Schools have no materials with which to work. Teachers stand at the chalk board for eight hours of Talk and Chalk: they even buy their own chalk.

Hospitals are struggling with high incidence of poor health, brought about by poor diet and poor living conditions. Alcoholism and suicide is at an all time high.

Yet through all of this shone a good natured and friendly people who were most welcoming and generous beyond belief.

In 2002 Nicholai Sadchenko, the Chief Executive of Khoiniki, came to South Devon on a fact finding visit. He simply could not believe the opulence with which we in the West live.

In October 2002, Tom and John drove a lorry loaded with Aid to Khoiniki, this included clothing, bedding, educational material, sewing machines and material. All of these items had been collected locally and were destined to provide materials and assistance.

From the outset, the aims of the Charity have been to assist the local population to help themselves. Chernobyl Aid Devon does not aim to live people’s lives for them, we wish to assist them in improving their own lives.

Chernobyl Aid Devon is currently helping a Kindergarten with a Special Needs Unit to improve the facilities it provides to its children and families.

To this end the head of the unit, Zhanna, came to Devon on a visit in April 2006. There she toured educational and medical facilities to see how we tackle the problem in England.

She went back and formulated a plan, and our aim is to help her achieve this.

In July, Alexei Plummer one of our group, visited the unit and purchased all of the necessary fittings to build a new toilet and bathroom complex. The work was undertaken by local tradesmen as we are keen to utilise local industry. The completed facility is light-years away from what they had before.

We have supplied them with a washing machine and tumble drier (how do you wash and dry clothes in a -10° winter?). This will mean warm, dry clothes for children this winter, a thing we just take for granted.

Chernobyl Aid Devon is keen to expand and grow across the County. Could you start a local support group, collecting aid and raising funds?

The legacy of Chernobyl will last well into the future. We can’t change the past, but together we can influence the future.

Will you help us to help those who through no fault of their own, live under the Shadow of Chernobyl?

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