CHERNOBYL CHILDREN'S PROJECT (UK)

Visit to Belarus June 2010 

From UK. Mike and Jenny Allison

Having sent three very large and varied deliveries of aid since November 09 it was time to make a follow up visit to talk with the receivers and to see the aid ‘on site’.  The notes below are taken from the report.

Arrived late Monday night and stayed at the Sozh Hoel in Gomel.

Tuesday 9am. Co-ordination Centre. We met with Valentina in her cellar warehouse as she had vacated her rooms and office upstairs due to a massive increase in rent. She was quite despondent and had almost given up the aid work but is now seeking new cheaper premises. Her organisation is important to us as she is able to receive aid and distribute to many families and organisations most of whom would be chosen by us.

 10.30. Mayflower. Short visit as they informed us about a show they were having at 12 noon so we headed for the SCT office where I handed over the cash etc I had taken for the office and Minsk CIT. 

11.00. SCT office. The staff was very busy preparing for the hols, visa etc but it looked a professional set up with everyone active. There was too much going on to have a long conversation so it was back to Mayflower.

 1215. Mayflower:  It was brilliant, clean and bright. I counted 23 or 24 disabled children including seven severely handicapped youngsters and several parents really enjoying the work of two young clowns who had them singing with actions, a bubble blowing display etc. All good stuff.  Six of the less disabled were dressed as cheer leaders and our Sveta was putting them through their paces. The cook there is sending two of her children to Monk Fryston in Yorshire for the summer holiday so it was a surprise and useful for both her and Jenny to meet.

1.30pm Rechitsa:  Victor the director was away at a meeting and his deputy was busy with an inspection but they still wanted us to go. The place is having a big update with new doors, windows and floors so the facilities improve all the time however that does not seem to translate into the staffing area.  On one of the corridors with lots of young children having their afternoon nap the stiletto heels of the secretary woke the children in at least five of the rooms and soon we were surrounded by kids wanting a hug when they should have been resting. Staff were not visible and we had to move out quickly before they all kicked off!

4pm:  Klimovka.  We bought provisions for them at the shop and ice cream and had a nice meal with them. They had been to the sanatorium and were very cheerful including Liena. Three of the youngsters were from Duanovka staying at KM while alterations to their rooms are completed at Duanovka.  I found them to be very bright and surely could benefit from education. They talk about avoiding alcohol so I asked “where would you get it from”.  The clammed up then but insisted that it was available at Duanovka. Greesha was not eating but ok and he had a birthday approaching in two days so he was to cheer up for that.  There is a small leak under a wash basin that they have tried to fix locally without success.  Yuri wants a DVD player.

 6pm: Duanovka.  The place was under quarantine as an old man had died – swine flu they said – but that was most unlikely. So we met Sasha outside. He looked very fit, suntanned and smart and looking forward to his visit to UK. He asked for information regarding his schedule.  He is smoking but not drinking. I asked how and where they would get the booze and he said from that house and pointed to the small block of flats to the right.  He said they waited until he director was out of the way then went across to purchase the booze which he said was “chemical like cleaning fluids!”

7pm. Back to Gomel and a meal at the theatre bar.

 Wednesday.

 It was not planned for Liena to be with us today as she had a video link planned with Linda but as we were to visit Vikov and Zhuravichi, places that she had not been to for some time, I had asked Liena to ask Linda if they could re-arrange their talk and that happened.

9.30. Vikov.  Again much improved buildings with double glazing on new windows and doors. All a big change since I was last there. It was a hot sunny day so those able to be outside were all around the gardens. We met the new director, a lady who seems very keen to make a difference, I think we were her first foreign visitors so it was evident that ‘runners’ were moving in front of us keeping good order and the corridors clear. She was surprised when I went into Yuri’s room to talk to him and to see the big guy with his TV. She did not expect us to know anyone there.  Aid requirements are pampers, mattresses etc. The young people we support were outside under shade with staff and we visited their room with one of the carers we employ.  With all the windows and doors open and most people outside it all looked very much better than I remember.

 12.00 Zhuravichi.  Before I left for BY Jean had said that if she had been blindfolded on her last visit and placed in Zhuravichi she would not have recognised it when the blindfold was off and she was spot on. Again the weather was brilliant and the place has had a major refit throughout. It is full of colour and kit with lots of activity toys etc.  The new director is very friendly and the staff acknowledged her a she walked around. The atmosphere is positive. The children without exception were clean including their hair and there appeared to be plenty of staff including the Nuns. There is a huge glasshouse, maybe 2000 sq ft with lots of tomato, cucumber, strawberry and melon plants. They have pigs and lots of root vegetables planted. The older kids and young adults were active working on the ‘farm’.  We had lunch with an Italian charity. They have worked at Zhuravichi for seven years sending aid by container to a receiver in Gomel and then travelling by minibus when the aid is cleared to deliver it to Zhuravichi and work on building the glasshouse etc.

 The director is looking forward to her visit to the UK in June and stated that Linda’s insistence in making the Minsk doctors visit Zhuravichi has meant that she now has a contact and gets action from the doctors when she needs help. Aid is not required as she states that she can buy most things through her budget but would like a music centre and loads of Pampers. Later in the day we were told that Zhuravichi had received a full truck of Pampers from a sender – disappointing that the director did not tell us but understandable also.

2pm: Rodni Kut.  Enjoyed some time with the youngsters and some food and then viewed the extension. Sergie was ok but is smarting from having his salary restored to the original agreement.  Liena told me that he is keen to adopt the children and live on the premises and where he will then have occupancy rights.  Similarly she told me that he has already spoken with the local churches for support in keeping RK operating should CCP cease to support! I hope I report that correctly.

 4pm; Sails of Childhood. Rogachev.  Galina is the largest receiver of aid in Gomel region sending aid to 100 families of her own and 90 different organisations including many that we support and including some of our other receivers such as co-ordination centre in Gomel. She has received 10 containers of aid from USA in the past 6 months. This aid is one item per container ie military boots, military underclothes, military sleeping bags etc so she prizes our aid for its variety. We went into the warehouse for what she pays 1.3m BLR per month (£300) and viewed our aid with the Sanatorium gear all separated. Clearance for the aid was received today 8^th June and Sergie was to collect Nazar’s wheelchair.

 6pm Rogachev Association.  They had almost the full committee there – no new people and much the same procedure with Valentina in full flow. They are very nice to us but are annoyed that we send their aid through Galina who they claim makes people pay for the aid. I have heard this previously from them and had already asked Galina about this earlier in the day. The answer I got was that if another distributing organisation want aid then they pay towards the expenses of the clearance, warehouse costs, salaries and labour.  SCT pay the paperwork costs of several of our receivers but Galina will not accept this payment as she recognises the cost we have in providing the aid.

During the meal one of the Rog Assn committee quite firmly said that if we ceased to support them it coulbe the end of the association. I believe that she was referring to the aid supply but I explained, very firmly, that unless we increased our income in UK CCP would not be able to support at all..  I have spoken about my thoughts on the association before in a meeting. There is a lack of drive here- all the committee seem to be the originals and their own disabled children are now adults. Viewing Rogachev town there are new shops, cafes and restaurants – surely there must be a chance of some self help here. It is happening elsewhere.

 8pm Off to Gomel arriving at 9.30.

Thursday. 9am. Children Hospital No 3.  Jenny had been suffering with a swollen ankle, from a mozzie bite,

throughout the visit and despite the creams and pills it was not improving so Liena organised for us to go see our hospice doctor, Irina, who gave Jenny prescription that sorted the problem. The doctor reminded me that we had met seven years ago in a bar when she heard our English and I spoke with her.   The lady, our hospice director now, asked me then what we did and when told her she asked “Do you know Linda Walker?”

She spoke very well and with enthusiasm about the new hospice operation and said that the families are now much happier having being anxious about the changes in the first place. Another very positive if unplanned meeting..

 10am. School No 5.  A good visit with Oleg flitting in and out but he showed us around and said he was very grateful for the aid some of which he had given to a Jewish charity which interests me as we have worked with the Jewish Revival Charitable Mission in the past and speak with their team near Luton.  The aid is now ready for full distribution and he stated that he was thankful for the assistance he had received from SCT staff in the paperwork process. Wherever we visited the food was served on the crockery we had supplied on the last three convoys and part of a 12 pallet load from Stoke on Trent.

11am:  Tourism and Lore.  This is one of the education director Shevel’s responsibilities and is a centre for young people – like an outwood bound centre. We visited last year when they were tearing the place to pieces to put in new floors, ceilings, windows and doors. We have made two substantial deliveries in November and March and all the aid was there to see. Each room has tables, chest of drawers, storage units and wardrobes curtsey of Ikea.  There were youngsters under canvas and loads of outdoor activities. In the presentation room they gave a powerpoint presentation that I will send to Ikea if they send it as promised in English.  I asked if special needs and disabled children would be allowed to use the centre and the answer was “yes” and “in parallel”. As you leave the centre there is a small tree on which you place a ribbon to indicate that you will return. They have had the voluntary help from workers from the collective farms, local  villages and cash support from the local companies and the place is a credit to them. If they can do it why not at Rog Assn?  We do not plan to make anymore substantial deliveries here as they seem well equipped and self motivated.

 4pm Klimovka again. Just a flying visit for 10 mins with cake and ice cream to wish Greesha and another lad ‘happy birthday’  Greesha was very pleased.

 5pm. Volkova.  Ludmilla had been told of the visit but as usual she reckoned that it would be me and another of the team. She has been coming to Monk Fryston for over 10 years now and was more than surprised when Jenny appeared from behind me. We had a good 90 minutes with her son and family.

 7pm White Dove.  We have used this charity to receive last year’s sanatorium gear so I wanted to thank them and see who they were as we may need them in the future to receive aid. It is very evident that all our major receivers work together and send aid across a wide area. They all emphasis the need and just accept the difficulties the authorities put in their way.

 8pm and we arrived at Sveta’s flat – on the ninth floor and the lift not working. It must have been very difficult for Sveta, a disabled person, to climb all those stairs some minutes before us as we were completely exhausted when we did it. It was a lot easier going down.  Despite her previous reluctance to move from Klimovka and become independent she looks so confident and proud in her new surrounding. She is excited about hosting Greesha and Liena in her flat but the logistics are daunting as both will be in wheelchairs. It is a comfortable flat with quite a view as you would expect from the ninth floor. She has a TV and laptop and it was good to see a chest of drawers assembled by John Withers in the aid warehouse in Selby. This is one of 50 that we have recently delivered to Belarus.

 9.30pm. Back to the hotel and another chat with Liena about cost reductions in SCT before Jenny and I changed and went out for a beer.  Along day but another good one.

 08.30 Friday. To the Railway station in Gomel where we met Alexie Laptev. He had travelled overnight from Moscow on route home to Rogachev and as it is some years since he had seen Jenny we arranged to be there. Twenty minutes later we were on route to the airport for home.

 Mike Allison June 2010

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