CCPI Newsletter - January, 2006

	January 2006

	As we start the new year, we would like to thank all of you who gave us such generous support in2005, either financially or with your encouragement, contacts and inspiration. And truly we thank you for your continued interest. It seems as though the past several years have brought an unusual number of natural and man-made disasters. But it is really nothing new – history shows that disaster, suffering and poverty have always been with us. We gratefully acknowledge the many of you who don't give up: who demonstrate hope in words and actions, who are able to see the big picture, who seek solutions, and who support efforts to end suffering wherever it exists. April of this year will mark the 20 th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. As the United Nations has pointed out, millions continue to suffer – at varying degrees – from the medical, economic, environmental, social, and psychological consequences. In order to help Chernobyl affected regions move forward, relief and development organizations must focus on programs that offer long-range hope and encourage self-reliance. At the same time, CCPI is committed to providing immediate comfort to the most vulnerable members of any community – its children. Read on for the latest news. October cardiac mission saves 30 young lives Nursing program expands & volunteers tell their stories Community care program keeps families together, eases isolation Vesnova Asylum update – hope and tragedy side by side Foster family continues to thrive Chernobyl eyewitnesses: Their stories in words and pictures Model Helena Christensen and Jacob the Jeweler raise awareness

October cardiac mission saves 30 young lives

Your contributions to Chernobyl Children's Project International allow us to send cardiac surgeon Dr. William Novick and a volunteer surgical team to Minsk three times a year. Our cardiac mission was movingly depicted in the HBO film Chernobyl Heart. Click here to see photos of children who were operated on this past October – the mission will return to Minsk in April 2006. Because our cardiac team travels to perform the surgeries, rather than bring children to the United States. we are able to reach and save many more lives and provide much needed training to local physicians.

Nursing program expands: Brings long term hope through training . . . volunteers tell their personal stories

CCPI hires, trains and pays nursing professionals to work in understaffed children's institutions and community- based programs in Chernobyl affected regions. Medical volunteers regularly visit our sites to evaluate the programs and continue training. This October, the successful program expanded further when occupational therapist Jennifer O'Dea of New Jersey, and infant massage/compassionate touch therapists Suzanne Reese and Michael Curtis of San Diego spent a week of training and hands on care at the Vesnova Mental Asylum in rural southern Belarus. This asylum is home to over 150 children of varying intellectual and physical capabilities, including about 50 highly dependent and bed-ridden children. Jennifer, Suzanne and Michael raised funds for their trip through the support of their family, friends, and employers, and were able to bring not only their skills and hands-on care and attention to these children, but thousands of dollars of therapeutic equipment. Click here to read a New Jersey newspaper article about Jennifer's trip, and here to read Suzanne's personal account of her trip. And please join us in extending sincere appreciation to these three, and to all of the CCPI volunteers worldwide (most notably from Ireland) who make our programs possible.

Community Care program keeps families of disabled children together and eases isolation

Our community care program, based in Minsk, continues to improve and expand. The objective of the program is to reduce child institutionalization by providing the families of disabled children with the support they need to care for their children at home. A team of physical therapists, coordinated by a CCPI-volunteer social worker, works with 20 children in the Minsk area who had previously been on waiting lists to be committed to an institution. CCPI building volunteers make the minor home renovations necessary for home childcare, such as bathing facilities and building wheelchair ramps. Outings to a local swimming pool are not only therapeutic but a welcome relief to isolation for the children and their families. Most of the families participating in the program live in poverty and need not only social, medical and therapeutic support and training, but lack the most basic supplies they need to care for their children, such as incontinence supplies.


	Vesnova Asylum update – hope and tragedy side by side The Vesnova Children's Mental Asylum, in rural southern Belarus, is home to over 150 children with a wide range of intellectual and physical disabilities. When we first visited the institution in early 2002 the children were living in substandard, unhygienic conditions and were not receiving a proper level of care -- in fact, Vesnova had some of the worst conditions our personnel had ever seen. The Academy award winning film Chernobyl Heart documents the conditions as of October 2002; in fact, during filming, one of the ceilings of the Asylum collapsed. You can see pictures of many of these children in the Images section of this website. That was then -- today CCPI volunteers have created a new high dependency unit and the work has been carried out throughout the building to improve sleeping and washroom facilities. This past fall, a group of Irish volunteers completed the renovation of another wing of the facility, and we are seeking sponsorships to complete more badly needed repairs that will bring the family up to minimum standards of humane care. We have made a dramatic improvement in sanitation, and the quality of life continues to improve for these children every day. Perhaps most importantly, CCPI has hired, trained, and pays nursing staff to provide a more adequate level of care for the children, and a teams of CCPI volunteers travel regularly to supervise their work and assess current and future needs. As hopeful as this news is, we are continually reminded that orphanages and institutions– no matter how well staffed and appointed – are terrible places for children. This past winter, Dasha and Galina (whose photos appear to the left) died. The two small children were very well loved by CCPI volunteers at Vesnova, and they will be missed. In a real sense their fates were sealed the day the entered the orphanage – this is why it is so important to address the underlying causes of child institutionalization at the same time as we mitigate its consequences.

Foster family continues to thrive

We are committed to programs that offer families alternatives to institutionalizing their children and allow children in orphanages to be integrated into a family setting. This past April, we purchased and put together a home for a family who desired to foster five children. The photo shows our family from Starye Dorogi in Belarus, a family that lovingly took in five ex-orphans, aged three to 17. The family is now complete having been joined by two and a half year old twins. The family receives regular follow up support and counseling to ensure that everyone continues to adjust well to their new situation. Through your support we have raised funds to put together a second foster home. We are coordinating with our partner NGO, the Belarusian Children's Fund, to identify, screen and clear a suitable family. We'll send updates as we move forward – and we sincerely thank you for supporting this hope giving program.


	Chernobyl eyewitnesses: Fascinating stories in words and pictures The online series Chernobyl: 20 Years 20 Lives tells the personal stories – in words and pictures – of 20 people whose lives have been defined by the Chernobyl accident. Some stories are controversial, others are inspirational or sad – all are highly personal and fascinating glimpses at unique individuals who are moving on in their own ways. Among the stories: Meet Hanna, who responded to her young son's devastating illness by organizing mothers to help their own. Meet Constantine, an intriguing and eccentric nuclear scientist. Meet Valentina, an outspoken pediatrician from the Belarusian town of Gomel. And meet Grigorij, a pensioner who went back to live in an evacuated village and insists that radiation can be washed out of the body with alcohol.

Model Helena Christensen, Jacob the Jeweler, and friends raise awareness

Long time Chernobyl Children's Project International supporter Helena and “jeweler to the stars” Jacob Arabo brought friends together this past November at the Soho House in New York to introduce a new line of fine jewelry and raise awareness for CCPI. Attendees at the event included CCPI Patron Ali Hewson and her husband, Bono; Michael Stipe of REM; and Metallica guitarist Lars Ullrich. Click here to see the photos.