Last week was pretty busy for Cherven children’s orphanage and the community. Our most dedicated volunteer Sean Hegarty from Ireland did a fantastic job on fixing the wheelchairs both in the orphanage and in the families we look after. Sean also brought 3 specially made wheelchairs for kinds. A few days of traveling to the children in the community and long days in Cherven brought fantastic results even though this year Sean came on his own.

It is always lovely to have Sean back and we look forward to seeing him again soon and hopefully for longer! Thanks a million, Sean!

The time goes on, things change, but something remains unchanged, like love of our volunteers, who keep traveling to Belarusian institutions no matter what. One of them is a lovely young girl Ruth Byrne from Clare. We always enjoy listening to her stories. This one is from this year’s trip:

My three weeks in Belarus absolutely flew by this summer, faster than time should be allowed to! They were fun filled, busy, brilliant weeks. Packed with activities, trips and love. I crossed paths with new and old volunteers alike. It was great to see so much fresh blood this year. The children were spoiled rotten and loved every second of it.

With the highs came the lows, and I felt many challenges were thrown at me this year, more so than other years. Firstly, I was full of emotion and apprehension before travelling as I knew so many of the little faces I love wouldn’t be there. It was a very sad year in both orphanages. The impact of which hit strongest in Cherven, particularly unit 5 as it was my first stop. Pasha’s absence was over whelming. Unit 1 was also difficult as Ruslan and Sergei’s room was particularly empty with the two of them gone. Groups 3 and 4 in Goradische were also very difficult as too many were missing, Artiom, Maxim, Igor, Vika, Liza. But, as any of you who have travelled before will know, there are so many other wonderful children there needing love/ hanging out of you that you don’t get much time to dwell on those emotions. I visited the graveyard in Goradische to pay my respects, and remember them. I will always remember these angels. <3

The other main challenge was in my final week. The children in Goradische were unwell with a tummy bug. This meant (at one point) that all the groups were closed and we didn’t have any access to the children. While we understood this was the right call as we didn’t want the bug to spread, it didn’t take from the frustration. We felt so helpless being so close yet of no use. Knowing they knew we were there and not coming to visit them was so difficult. We were allowed access to one, and then two groups… groups 1 and 6 did very well out of the situation as they got two full days of the Irish to themselves!! J

As always though, the happy moments are always in plentiful supply.

My time in Cherven was short but jam-packed. I met two new volunteers while there, Aoife and Rachel Kenna. The girls were there for a month in total and were doing fantastic work with the children and young people. They paid a lot of attention to unit 3 who are often over looked by most groups so this was lovely to see. We spent a lovely afternoon colouring with the girls in 3. We had music and goodies too of course! We spent a lot of time outside with the older ones. Lots of sports and dancing. There were Frisbees flying everywhere and rackets and balls too. They were a particularly hot couple of days and some of the units were hard at work in the garden and preparing a new court yard. The disco corner was as busy as ever. The dancing did not stop. They were showing me their new moves and new tunes. Igor was on hand to take lots of photos, and Sergei to mind my bag! Everyone was in great form, delighted to have company. It had been a long while since Cherven had had Irish people visit so it was nice to treat them all. I spent a lot of time with unit 5, every day if not twice a day I would go to unit 5 and bring them for walks. Those that could, I would take them out of the chair and work their muscles, Vlad never wanted to stop! J The girls did fantastic work in the sensory room too.

I made my way to Goradische, and found half of Ireland there! Having so many volunteers made the ratio of Irish: Belarussian a lot healthier! It was amazing to go into a group and have so many children seen to at once. The heat continued that week so it was the perfect opportunity for some water sports, who knew towels and water balloons could be so much fun! We had two trips to Baranovichi, where we took the young people to a petting zoo, fairground, cinema, restaurant and for ice-cream. Smiles and full bellies all ‘round. While the weather was good we tried to get everyone out as much as possible where we went for walks, played football, and celebrated St. Ivan’s Day. When the weather wasn’t in our favour we took them to the hall for games. We had sensory play with groups 3 and 4. One of the highlights was the success of a day of water play with group 4. The squeals and giggles lasted all afternoon, all of them wanted a go, even Anya came racing in to the classroom! We baked with the Independents, and spent Independence Day with them in the local park where they were taking part in the celebrations and selling their crafts and baked goods. It was so special to see them interacting with the public and selling their pieces with pride.

Over all it was a roller coaster of emotions, as per usual! But it was great. We made the most of the time and resources we had. I’d like to thank everybody who supported me with donations of toys, clothes and money. Know your kindness went to medicine, trips, goodies and general running cost of the orphanages. Thank you all again! A big thank you to all at Burren Chernobyl Project and Dobra Tut who work so hard year on year to allow these trips to happen. Thank you so much, Spasiba Bolshoi!! 

Dear friends,

We are asking for your help again. Katerina Nikitenko, 26 years old, suffers from a rare genetic disease phenylketonuria. To ensure the normal life this lady needs special nutrition on a regular basis. Its cost is not very high (average of 250 Belarusian rubles), but for her this amount is unaffordable. Here you can find information about nutrition (P-AM3), here and here - Additional Products that she needs as well.

We are asking you to help this girl in purchasing the necessary nutrition or to transfer funds for its purchase.

Thank you in advance!!!

Number of credit card, where you can transfer funds:

Belarusbank 9112 0000 8320 3679

Home address: Mogilev Boulevard unconquered 44-121. ind.212029. Ekaterina Nikitenko

Dear friends, the family of a lovely girl Masha Zhuk, born in 2000, applied to us looking for some help.

That's what her parents wrote:

"In 2002 Masha was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, moderate lower limbs spastic paraparesis and hips dislocation.

The girl went through several complex operations to fix hips dislocation, but the difference in leg length was quite large. After several successful Rehabilitation courses in Truskavets and Warsaw, the difference was reduced to 0.6 cm.

   It was very hard, but Masha is a very diligent and hard-working girl. She has good chances of recovery. Masha still has very weak back, that’s why she finds it hard to move. The next course of treatment is scheduled for November 28, 2016.

   We ask all people to help us undergo the course of rehabilitation in clinic "OLINEK", Warsaw. PLEASE HELP US collect the required amount - 900 US dollars. "

Charity account is opened at JSC "Belarusbank" office No. 316 of branch 510 of ASB "Belarusbank" Address: Minsk, M.Tanka Str.,  34-2,  MFO 153001603 UNP 100633430

In Belarusian rubles: number 000045

(Transit account №3819382100008-specified for transfers from legal entities or for non Belarusbank customers)

In Russian Rubles: №000017

(Transit account №3819382103249-specified for transfers from legal entities or for non Belarusbank customers)

In US dollars: №000414

(Transit account №3819382103249-specified for transfers from legal entities or for non Belarusbank customers)

In Euro: №000012

(Transit account №3819382103249-specified for transfers from legal entities or for non Belarusbank customers)

Purpose of payment:  in the name of Elena Zhuk for the treatment and rehabilitation of daughter Maria Zhuk.

Electronic purse Easypay: 44679613

Electronic purse WebMoney:

Z411909036863 US dollars WMZ

R690532546051 Russian ruble WMR

It is possible to top up the balance of MTS +375333048297

Home address: 220035, Minsk Pobediteley d.43 k.2 kv.86

Contacts:

+375291998558 Mather Elena Zhuk

+375296120335 Father  Pavel Zhuk

Thank you so much for all your support!

Friends, 

This summer brought a lot of pleasant presents to the children of Gorodische children's orphanage, but the holidays in Minsk were no doubt the most memorable. The teacher, who accompanied the young adults recall this happy week:

"Once upon a time" - these words are familiar to everyone, because each of us once in their childhood was immersed in the world of fantastic adventures and fairy tales. About one of these adventures I’d like to tell you now. It began like this. In July Charity Foundation "Dobra tut" invited children from Gorodishche orphanage to Minsk for a one week holiday. And our fantastic adventure, otherwise it cannot be named, has begun! And we called it the "Joy"galaxy.

Our journey through the "Joy" galaxy started with the planet "Pets". On this planet we saw beasts that the children haven’t seen before. We got into the atmosphere of Africa, found out who lived in Terrariums and aquariums. The kids were particularly impressed by the Dino Park with dinosaurs, who can sing and dance. In a blink of an eye, we got to the planet "3D", having magic glasses on we hit the "Ice Age". Fascinating cartoon gave us a lot of positive emotions, laughter and good humor. The next morning we started as usual with a visit to the palnet of "yummies", please note, that this planet we visited more than six times a day. The boys and girls liked this planet very much, as the greatest cooks Tatiana and Teresa cooked their favorite meal and the children ate everything they were prepared with a huge appetite. Traveling on, we found ourselves at the fascinating planet called "Happiness" as it turned out, this planet was the best in the galaxy! Interesting carousel, swings, breathtaking rides brought a surge of new emotions of joy and unforgettable sensations. The kids loved to fly on the fabulous swan, flying saucers, daisy rides, whirled in a waltz, took a ride up on the Ferris wheel to see Minsk from above. “Amusement Park is so cool”, say the children! We flew from one planet to another with the speed of light, and all because of the skillful and cleaver commander Tamara, who was doing her best to make sure we visited as much as possible in various places of interest. And here we were at the «Magic-show», where we met by a true magician Kostya. Kostya took boys’ breaths away with variety of tricks and magic, girls' with dancing and gifts. He also introduced the kids with the magic rabbit and a talking parrot, and also set up a soap bubbles show. Many thanks to Kostya The Magician for the professionalism and dedication in organizing the show for the kids! Next we visited planet "Friendship", where we met new friends, who taught us to play with salty dough and molded little turtles. The atmosphere was good, warm. Love and friendship did not leave us for a moment. And it will remain in the hearts of children forever. Then we went to travel by boat, took a bike ride through the park, we also wandered into a fairy-tale of the botanical garden and greenhouses. A children's railway was the best entertainment  for our children! “That would be great if we could do it too!” said the kids after seeing such a young conductor on the train. We’ve been almost everywhere! But time flew by very quickly, and there was time to leave, which is always sad. As always, there were in tears ...

 I could not help but share their impressions of our unforgettable visit to Minsk, which gave the children a lot of positive moments, energy, joy and new experiences, optimism and faith in their own strength.

I want to thank and say a lot of warm words to all the volunteers of "Barren Chernobyl Project" for the opportunity to make such a fantastic trip. Thank you for trying to make the world of our children a better place. Your kindness and generosity know no limits. You bring and multiply peace, goodness, love, warm-heartedness  in everyone who is in need. This what I see in Gorodische orphanage were I work. I can see how much you are giving yourself the children, how you  organize their holidays, birthdays, various excursions, and give them a lot of attention that they need. Looking at you, everyone gets filled in with positive energy, and that what makes you be better, do better and bring good all around. Once again, thank you very much for your selfless support and work. Let the kindness and generosity return to you multiplied a hundred times! We wish you all the best, good health and prosperity.

Elena Aleshkevich -teacher"

Dear friends,

Our little friend Sergei Luschin keeps making a good progress. This October to December they plan another trip to China for the treatment. The family managed to save 6000$, thus out of 10000$ there is 4000$ left to fundraise (they've already got some help). 

We are asking everyone who can to support this brave fighter and help him have a better quality life! Many thanks in advance!

In belarusian rubles: №000024

(Transit account №3819382102020 - indicated only the transfer of funds by legal entities or of Belarusbank)

In US dollars: №000022

(Transit account №3819382105027 - indicated only the transfer of funds by legal entities or of Belarusbank)

In russian rubles: №000015

(Transit account №3819382105027 - indicated only the transfer of funds by legal entities or of Belarusbank)

The euro: №000009

(Transit account №3819382105027 - indicated only the transfer of funds by legal entities or of Belarusbank)

Payment: In the name of Luschina Marina S. for treatment Luschin Sergei Alexandrovich

Easypay: 00360412

Home address:

211030 Vitebsk, Orsha Str. Proletarian, Building 4, Apartment 127

Luschina Marina S.

Contacts:

tel.: +375 33 611-59-27

We are very happy that this summer Cherven children's orphanage welcomed new friends. New friends are always great. Keelin O'Sullivan shares her impressions about the week spent with the children in Cherven. And we in our turn say thanks a million for that wonderful time, love and help that the girls gave the children!

"My experience in Cherven was more amazing than I could have ever imagined. From the moment I arrived until the evening I left I experienced pure happiness, love and fun. All units we visited were uniquely challenging but spending time with the different groups was so rewarding. After spending months planning and thinking about the trip I soon realised that all I really needed to do was be there with the children and young adults and have a good time.

I absolutely adored spending time in the multisensory room with the children from units five and six. These younger children were mostly confined to wheelchairs even though we soon found out that many of them could walk. Seeing a child come out of a wheelchair and be able to walk around, run, jump and play is completely indescribable. Being able to give these children attention and love and seeing them be so happy, playful and childlike was wonderful.

In the evenings we mostly stayed outside with the older units such as eight, nine and eleven. We spent hours face painting, drawing with chalk, dancing, playing tennis, football, Frisbee, and taking hundreds of pictures! Everyone loved having their picture taken and we were able to get photos developed and give them out which was really special. These groups also loved colouring and arts and crafts which we all did when it was raining or too late to be outside. One afternoon we took them to the cinema and for a disco. This was one of the highlights of my trip. Seeing all of them in their best clothes, so excited to be going out for an afternoon was so eye-opening. Something as simple as walking ten minutes into the town and going for a dance and a movie is so rare for these young adults that being able to take them was so incredible. We got everyone juice and some sweets which was also well received!

Spending time with the girls from unit three was also great! They loved getting their nails and make up done. We all had so much fun with that. We also spent time doing arts and crafts with them! I was really glad that we got to visit unit one, which is a palliative care unit. While most of these children are bedbound it was nice to be able to give them some attention, even if it was just blowing bubbles or just sitting beside them. Although we were only there for a week, I was grateful that we were able to visit most units.

My time in Cherven was so short but extremely rewarding. While I can’t deny that at times it was very difficult and sad, the happiness, fun and love were just overpowering and incredible. I hope to return to Cherven soon and spend much longer there. This trip wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support all of us girls had for each other, being able to have a group of us was really beneficial and allowed us to be able to take more children to the multisensory room and be able to do more activities.  It’s so difficult to capture how amazing this trip was, you need to experience the children of Cherven to understand how life changing it really is."

Dear friends, WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

After carrying out a simple contracture dissection operation on the gluteal muscles, that the doctors in Minsk did improperly, Elya URGENTLY REQUIRES MULTIPLE multistage complex operations on the hip joint and pelvis. If the child is not treated as soon as possible the consequences will be irreversible. She will have total spine, chest and pelvis deformation, and later - severe pain, lungs deformity that will lead to life on a ventilation unit.

The child’s case is undertaken in Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, the bill is provided for 2 surgeries!!!

COST OF OPERATIONS is 63,000 dollars. 700-800 EURO for TRAVEL expenses, 3000 euro apartment rent - 3 days for inspection and 10 days after discharge from the hospital, 2000 euro for medications and unplanned expenses on clinic. We count on your support, prayers, kind words, information spread, and financial assistance. WITHOUT YOU WE CANNOT ACHIEVE THIS GOAL!

Charity accounts are opened in the CBU number 626 of "Belarusbank" – Maryina Gorka, Lenin Street, 27; UNP 100603596; MFO 153001601:

In Bel rubles: №000023 at the branch № 500

(Transit account №3819382126576 – is  indicated in cases if the funds transfer is performed by legal entities or from banks other than Belarusbank)

In US dollars: №000059 at the branch № 500

(Transit account №3819382126547 - is indicated in cases if the funds transfer is performed by legal entities or from banks other than Belarusbank)

In euro: №000011 at the branch № 500

(Transit account №3819382126547 - is indicated in cases if the funds transfer is performed by legal entities or from banks other than Belarusbank)

In Russian rubles: №000017 at the branch № 500

(Transit account №3819382126547- is indicated in cases if the funds transfer is performed by legal entities or from banks other than Belarusbank)

Payment: To be admitted to the charity account in the name of Natalia Kulchenko to treat her daughter Elina Kulchenko

WebMoney:

B130270546655 - in Belarusian rubles

Z791720275276 - in dollars

E114921462808 - in euro

R142189281905 - in Russian rubles

U681627630221 - in UAH

EasyPay: 30959425

Yandex purse: 410011457986565

KIWI purse: 964-611-26-22

PayPal: tatysh.n@mail.ru

Home address:

Minsk, 220055, street Lyutsinskaya, 27, kv.60

Kulchenko Natalia Vladimirovna

Contact phone: +375291710114, Natalia.

A wonderful alchemical, magical thing happens when you visit the kids at the Gorodische Orphanage.

It's a slow burn kind of magic, that builds steady over the week and ends with feeling completely enriched for spending time with these amazing kids. And this time was no different, Martina Collins, Jo Quinlan and myself headed to the Gorodische Orphanage for a week over the end of July and first week of June.  We merged up with a fantastic group of University of Limerick students, and of course Laura Williams and Ruth Byrne -who are veteran volunteers.

Seeing the many improvements made at the orphanage since the last trip was fantastic - in particular the new verandas and the new airbeds for the bed-bound group.  Even meeting the new Mamas, who seemed genuinely happy to be with the kids, was just wonderful.

The week was fully jam packed with events. We were treated to a wonderful artistic performance by many of the children which was inspired by the colours of summer. And since the weather was so lovely, we had a volley ball game using water balloons.
A trip out to a small petting zoo brought many smiles and new experiences for both the kids and the volunteers, followed by a spin on some carnival rides, which created I'm sure many fond memories for the children.

Moments of sadness are always present on trips like these, especially when noticing the absence of those kids who passed away over the year, or spending time with children whose health seems to be going down hill - it's a horrible feeling not being able to take someone's pain or discomfort away. Despite the sad moments, love and laughter are never too far away. Simple things like blowing bubbles, colouring and playing ball bring so much joy to these kids, and that joy is absolutely infectious.

As always my favourite memories are those of spending time with the older children.  Discos, football, puzzles, making bracelets and putting on temporary tattoos are activities we do with them and even though we struggle to communicate with one another, they still have the uncanny ability to climb into your heart -  with in minutes!

I never fail to leave theses kids without a stronger awareness of everything I take for granted and  a greater sense of wonder and appreciation for their happy dispositions despite the challenges they face. They are like medicine for my soul and I'm grateful to each and every one of them.

-Olivia Bane

For quite a long time there were no volunteers to come to Cherven children's orphanage. But recently 2 sisters from Ireland came for a 4-week visit to the children.

There are a lot of impressions, but let's see what the girls say:

"With no previous experience of working with children with disabilities and qualified only in hugs and kisses we were extremely nervous about what was to come, but as always we took it in our stride and with big smiles on our faces we stepped into a place that we would soon come to love!

Unit 6, a palliative care unit where the children have severe mental and physical disabilities with some children fed through nasogastric tubes was the first unit we visited. Although the prognosis for most of the children is not good, a simple walk around the grounds, a trip to the multi-sensory room or balloons and bubbles can really brighten up their day and bring life back into the unit. The moment a child smiles at you or uncontrollably laughs when you tickle them with a feather gives you goose bumps. It really is the small things that make such a difference.

Another unit we worked in was Unit 5, made up of young children with mental and physical disabilities. Some can walk and some are confined to their wheelchairs. One particular boy Victor, has Downs syndrome and as a result, a heart defect. Just a couple of months ago, Pasha another boy with the same condition passed away as a result. Victor is the most intelligent little boy in Unit 5 and when you watch him the realisation that he is a ticking time bomb is extremely hard to swallow.  We spent our mornings bringing all the children on walks around the grounds and bringing groups to the multi-sensory room both of which they loved.

Unit 4, also known as the crazy walkers, are abled-bodied kids who have more severe mental disabilities. At the beginning we avoided this unit because the bad weather meant they were confined to their unit. However, once outside lots of the children enjoyed interacting. We spent time drawing with chalk, playing with balloons that kept bursting because of the heat, bubbles which wouldn’t work because they shook them and loud music for dancing. They loved it, we only wish we had had the opportunity to do it more often!

Unit 3 was hands down our favourite unit. It is made up of older girls 15-25 with physical or mental disabilities. One major issue is that this unit is located on the third floor where the lifts have been broken for over a year and although now fixed have not yet been certified. The girls had not been outside in a year and a half. One of our favourite days was our picnic in the garden where we brought fifteen of the girls outside and sat under the trees listening to music, painting nails, applying stick-on tattoos and eating sweets, chocolate, and crisps for hours. The happiness of finally leaving their unit was palpable and the effort of carrying the girls in wheelchairs down a flight of stairs rapidly disappeared. We spent hours upon hours colouring with the girls in their unit colouring over 300 pictures during our time there.

The ‘older boys and girls’ were another group that we loved to spend time with, they were Units 8, 9 and 11, able-bodied with slight mental disabilities. We spent hours and hours outside playing tennis, table-tennis, bubbles, chalk, Frisbee, and the cone game. One of the nicest things about this group was their ability to share and play with each other. We brought them to the cinema and had a disco for them, where there were games for them to play too. We soon realised that they may like dancing but there is nothing they love more than to play games where there are chocolate coins at stake. We were also able to do an arts and crafts session with the older girls where we made a poster of all their hand-prints not to mention the thousands of stickers then used to decorate their names that we had written out for them. We also had the opportunity to have tea and biscuits in Unit 8. As with most of the activities we pre-organised there was no water to actually make tea, although it did come back after an hour. As two Irish girls we were more than willing to drink tea allowing the boys to show us their photos albums, drawings and their prized possessions.

There are no words that can truly describe what it is like in Cherven orphanage. There are no words to describe the feeling when you interact with the kids. Such small things like bringing a child for a walk or playing music or buying ice-cream can really bring such happiness. Many hailed us a ‘brilliant’ ‘super’ and ‘amazing’ for giving up our time to volunteer in Cherven and yes it is emotionally draining, physically exhausting and at times heart wrenchingly sad, but every single second is worth it! The truth be told it is the most worthwhile, rewarding experience we have had yet!

Aoife & Rachel"

Check out the photos in the album below

My name is Irina and I’m the mother of Listratenko Olga, from Cherikov, Mogilev region.

I have never asked anyone for help before, but now I have no other choice. Our girl is already 14 years old. She has cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia. All these years we have been working hard to improve our daughter’s health, so that she could be more independent. This is our dream. Olya had a lot of the surgeries (11 in total) and I just not tell, how much pain and suffering she’s been through all these years. All Olya’s life is constant rehabilitation, operating, treatment, recovery. And we have invested all we had into it. And now we are out of funds, that’s why we need your support.

We have recently returned from a trip to China Clinic for treatment and rehabilitation. And thank God, she made a huge progress: she strengthened back, neck muscles, learned to crawl, to walk without splints with a walker, to sit with straight legs. For us, these are Olympic achievements! But most importantly, the chief doctor of the clinic has encouraged us to come back to the clinic at the end of September 2016, to consolidate the improvements, because as the girl matures and there won’t be much time left to help her. The treatment will take 2 months and the cost is $ 8,000.

We are asking all caring people to support us with anything! Every little helps and we'll be grateful for any amount you can contribute towards Olya’s better quality life!!!

The banking details are in the album under the story!