Lilia at the Republican Rehabilitation Centre in Minsk

On May 5th I accompanied a small group of people from our groups, with one member of another charity on an educational visit to Belarus. These visits have proved very useful in giving people a better idea of the problems in Belarus, the efforts being made by people there to overcome them, and seeing the projects we are involved with. The group were: Julie Gater and Sue Briand, Endon and Stoke Group; Chris MacDonald, Moray group; Hazel Padfield, Gloucester group; Ruth Bond, Chernobyl North East; and Denis Krivosheev. (Denis is a Belarussian who has been studying in the UK for the past five or six years. When he returns to Minsk this Summer, he will work for us).

When we arrived in Minsk we were collected by ‘Children in Trouble’ and half the group stayed in their hostel, whilst half were at the Republican Rehabilitation Centre. The next morning we all visited the Rehabilitation Centre where everyone was amazed at this very impressive centre. The building is huge, there is a beautiful swimming pool, all sorts of medical facilities, a theatre and a chapel, besides the classrooms and bedrooms where the children study and live for periods of about six weeks. The Centre can take 120 children, and some of the younger and more disabled children stay there with their mothers. We met some of the children and their teachers and speech therapists and saw some of the beautiful crafts the children produce.

A new shop had been opened in the basement, selling wheelchairs and special footwear. The prices seemed remarkably cheap and we thought that it would be good to encourage members of the Rogachev Families Association and others we work with in Gomel to visit, and see what would be most suitable for some of the more disabled children in their care. We might be able to match up families in Britain who would like to do something to help with families who need a wheelchair purchased for around $100.
We had hoped to see Lova at the Centre. He had a catheter fitted at Shrewsbury Hospital in January and then, instead of returning to Zhuravichi, we had managed to get him into the Centre in Minsk, where he had greatly enjoyed himself, learned a great deal and made many very close friends. But Lova was in hospital and we were told that he was very ill with serious problems with his kidneys and the Centre were frightened to take him back again.

We visited Children’s Hospital No 4, which is a very poor hospital, greatly in need of equipment. We had sent them some aid earlier this year, including an Endoscope Washing Machine from KeyMed and they are now hoping for a Paediatric Gastroscope. Hospital visits were of special interest to Hazel, who is a community paediatrician and Chris, a theatre nurse. The chief doctor asked us about a small boy who had been receiving treatment at the hospital and was now in the care of the Hospice. His mother had abandoned him because of his disabilities and he had been accepted at Zhuravichi, but no-one had the funds to get him there. I said that we would definitely arrange this
Most of the group then went to visit the Children’s Hospice where some of the children who attend the day Centre had prepared a performance for them. They saw the memory room, where pictures of all the children the Hospice has cared for are kept and the small flats where families can stay if their situation at home is very bad.