Chernobyl Rss Feed

new iPad app explores chernobyl

kathy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:47:03 GMT

Photographer Gerd Ludwig has introduced a beautifully crafted and fascinating app for the iPad called The Long Shadow of Chernobyl.

Spanning nearly two decades of documentation, the app explores the human and environmental impact since the disaster, including photos from Ludwig's most recent trip to Chernobyl in early 2011, taken as the crisis at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant was unfolding.

Chernobyl Children Project International volunteers who travel to Belarus will recognize a number of the young faces featured in Ludwig's photos. The app includes four photo galleries, 12 slideshows, and two interactive panoramas. Ludwig went deeper inside the damaged reactor unit No. 4 than any Western still photographer. He includes videos from the Chernobyl site, as well as footage from the Vesnova Asylum in Belarus.

I was particularly moved by the gallery called "Mothers" -- as Ludwig writes, "The brunt of responsibilities after any catastrophe often rests with women. Since the Chernobyl disaster, women have been left to care for their sick and disabled children as well as the elderly survivors, keeping their families together, often while their husbands have taken to drinking as they crack under the pressure."

In one shocking photo in the "Tourists" gallery, a woman poses for a photo in an abandoned radioactive metal bumper car in Pripyat -- a smile across her face as she ignores the obvious danger.

Adding to the context of the photographs is an essay by Eastern European expert David Marples, Ph.D. Dr. Marples is Distinguished University Professor, Department of History & Classics, University of Alberta. I've always found him to be one of the more unbiased and sensible sources of historical knowledge about the accident at Chernobyl, as well as the ongoing political, social, and medical consequences. The essay very succinctly outlines the major information everyone should know about Chernobyl, while avoiding interest group politics.

Ludwig funded the project through Kickstarter, a internet funding platform for creative projects. He told us that this 20 year project has been a "labor of love. I certainly hope the app will be considered a new and powerful tool to tell the story of Chernobyl."

You can find The Long Shadow of Chernobyl in the iTunes App store.
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a story of survival, and hope for disabled in belarus

kathy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:44:00 GMT

I am joyful to announce that within days we will move 12 physically and mentally disabled young women out of an institution and into a home of their own -- a home where they will live independently for the first time! These girls have made a remarkable journey, and against all odds:

I will never forget the day I first visited the Vesnova children’s mental asylum.

It was a prison-like building at the end of a long road. A grim faced guard unlocked a metal gate on the grounds pointed me to the dilapidated building.

Behind locked doors

As I entered the building, my nostrils were filled with an overpowering smell of human waste, and it was a struggle to continue forward. Behind the locked doors of the units, I found children bound in straight jackets, and others tied to radiators. Many clearly suffered from malnutrition, and had mouths full of rotten teeth. Children lying in their own urine and feces, with flies dancing over their lips, moaned softly as I pulled back their ragged bedclothes. Many were covered in scabies or had festering bedsores.

The more mobile children were kept locked in cell like rooms. I remember what we came to call the “mattress room” -- 10 empty eyed children rocking and humming and picking at each other’s skin. Most of the children had shaved heads and I could not tell the boys from the girls.

Leaving the asylum, I saw the cemetery and row after row of small graves marked by numbers. I realized that for many of the children who came down the long road to Vesnova, a coffin and an unmarked grave would by their only way out. Later I learned that survivors would, at the age of 18, be transferred to an adult asylum -- a mixture of a prison and an “old folks home” where they would live out the rest of their days isolated from society. Sadly, this is the fate for many mentally and physically disabled people around the world. And this was going to be the fate of the young women you see pictured here.

Alternatives to institutions

As our supporter, you know of our long term effort to improve the living and standard of care at Vesnova, a place that has been transformed since that first visit almost a decade ago. But we also knew no matter how well kept and bright, institutions are not a place for children. We had to find alternatives.

This is why in 2008 we opened an independent living apartment terrace for 10 physically and intellectually disabled young men from Vesnova -- the first of its kind in Belarus. Soon, after completing it, we knew we would have to do something for the older girls. But finding the funding was a challenge.

None of the young women pictured here are older than 20. But you can see that life has not been kind to them. As we watched them grow from girls to teens, we saw them became the unpaid labor of the institution. They were the workers in the fields, the caretakers of the livestock, the scrubbers and the cleaners. They were often caring “mothers” to the younger children, instinctively giving their love and attention. Tragically, they were also the sexual objects of some unscrupulous adults.

Each of the girls pictured here is so much more than a sad story . . . they are true survivors. When we were able to move our young men into their own home in 2008, they started to dream that their time would come to have a home just like the boys.

Over the past 3 years, the girls came to visit the boys in their new home every free moment they had. The girls envied the boys the privacy of having their own bedroom, personal things, being able to cook. They had a yearning for the personal space to do all the ordinary things one does in a home of their own.

An unexpected donation

It broke my heart to see the girls wistfully visit the boys knowing that this little piece of Heaven was just a tantalizing momentary thing. Just when we thought we would have to say 'no' to the girls’ constant begging for a home like the boys...an “angel” came to their
rescue! A '”friend of a friend” came to see our work at Vesnova. On hearing the
story of the girls and their dream to have their own home, they gave us the funding to make that dream come true. I hope to be able to tell you the name of this kind donor soon.

What is most important for now, is that within days I will cut the ribbon and the girls will move in. I can't wait to see the excitement on their faces as they settle into having their own bedrooms, a kitchen and communal lounge where they can sit and talk, paint, play
games, have fun, sing songs and dream dreams of their new life...now, with
everything to live for . . . at last!

Adi

maryna's story

kathy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:54:00 GMT

My name is Andrea Keogh. I met Maryna in 2007, when I made my first volunteer visit to the Vesnova institution.

We became instant friends. She is ten years old. I don’t know much about her background. I know that her parents abandoned her when we was 9 months old, soon after they discovered she had cerebral palsy. She has lived at Vesnova since she was 4. Before that she lived in an institution for abandoned babies. It’s sad to realize that she has not had a home or family since she was an infant.

Maryna can’t walk or talk. She needs 24 hour care. But you only need to spend a moment with her to see how intelligent she is.

Our relationship is magical

Words can’t really describe our relationship, it is a little magical. We actually don’t use words to communicate, we don’t need them. Her smile would launch a thousand ships, her laugh is infectious, and she is truly a joy to be around.

She has become a major part of my life, and my family and friends too. I have been able to bring her to Ireland to visit me. She really does love visiting and falls into our family life, helping Dad on the farm, going to see my brothers play hurling matches, and she loves shopping as every young lady does!

I don’t know what lies ahead

The fresh air and good food she receives when she comes to Ireland is truly beneficial to her and it speaks volumes when she’s going back with colour in her little cheeks and with a few extra pounds on from good food (and ice cream!!).

It is difficult to say what lies ahead for Maryna. I would love to see her move into a Home of Hope. I do know for as long as we can we will continue to support her, love her and bring her home to Ireland to help prolong her lifespan.

She is my little treasure and I am very glad to know her.

See Andrea and Maryna in this clip from Children Beyond Chernobyl:

uliana's story

kathy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:06:55 GMT

My name is Carmel Mulchrone. I am a psychiatric nurse. I started volunteering for the Chernobyl Children International medical team in 2005, and I have been making visits to the Vesnova children’s institution since then.

On my most recent visit this past month, I noticed a new child lying in her bed, staring into space. I tried to interact with her, but got no response. She was such a beautiful girl. I wondered how she came to live here. I asked our translator to ask about her personal history. To my horror, I learned that Uliana was born “normal.” When she was 8 months old her mother, in an alcoholic rage, threw her against a wall. Her brain was damaged, and now she will spend the rest of her childhood in this bed at Vesnova.

I was filled with anger and sadness when I heard her story. Who knows what she could have become if not for this tragedy. The remainder of my time at Vesnova, I spent a lot of time with Uliana, holding her and cuddling her. By the end of my visit I think she was starting to enjoy it. But I don’t know what was going through her head. People always tell me I am “so great” for coming here . . . but I don’t think so. I enjoy it, and I enjoy my bond with the children.

Here is a picture of me with a young woman who grew up at the Vesnova institution. Her name is Sveta, and I am very fond of her. She has always been so kind and caring to the younger children there. This month, she will move into a home of her own -- the independent living terrace of apartments built by Chernobyl Children International.

miracle in ukraine: baby bogdan's story

kathy — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:00:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, I visited a run down and ill equipped children's hospital in Kharkiv, Ukraine. A volunteer surgical team funded by CCI worked alongside local medical teams to perform free heart operations.

The first bed I stopped at when I walked into the ICU held a tiny baby boy named Bogdan. He was so small that I almost missed him -- except that all the medical equipment attached to him drew my attention to look closer.

He looked so fragile and vulnerable with his little chest heaving up and down. I could immediately see that he was in distress. The veins in his chest were enlarged, and the rapid rise and fall of his chest was unnatural. The volunteers told me that he was an abandoned baby with a poor prognosis. In fact, he had only a 10% chance of survival -- he had only about 72 hours left in this world.

Luck was on Bogdan’s side. I was accompanied by two of Ireland’s top cardiologists, Professor Mark Redmond and Dr. Paul Oslizlok. They examined Bogdan, and recommended to the team that immediate intervention was the only thing that could improve his chance of survival. Before I knew what was happening, Dr. Oslizlok and the team were gowned and scrubbing up for emergency surgery.

Bogdan was gently wrapped in a warm blanket and carried to the operating theatre where we all watched and awaited the outcome. Afterwards, the surgeons gathered us around his bed, with tentative grins and relief on their faces. “Bogdan’s chances have improved to 50%. We think he’s going to make it! He’s a plucky little one, a real fighter!”

I recalled our original mantra: Heartbeat by heartbeat, breath by precious breath. Bogdan has put his heart and hopes in the hands of our surgeons and volunteers, hoping for a miracle, the gift of life. On returning home to Ireland, I heard from the team that Bogdan is making a heroic recovery, and is now taking his bottle feed with great gusto. And with a very hope filled life ahead of him!

These sorts of miracles happen every time we are able to send, with your financial support, a volunteer cardiac team to Kharkiv.

Every year in Ukraine, over 6000 children are born with genetic cardiac disease. More than half of the children will not receive the surgery they need to survive and will die. In partnership with the International Children’s Heart Foundation, our intervention has saved the lives of hundreds of children who suffer a marked increase in cardiac birth defects since the Chernobyl disaster. Volunteers work along side local staff, teaching them the latest techniques in taking care of children with congenital heart defects.

How you can help

Your intervention is badly needed, both to save young lives now, and to help Ukraine build a sustainable children’s heart surgery program for the future. Last year, we planned to support six volunteer missions to Kharkiv, Ukraine. Sadly our fund raising fell short and two missions had to be cancelled. Watching little Bogdan come back to life only underscored for me how important it is that this work continue.

Cardiac surgery is especially dependent on modern, professional education and state of the art equipment. We have high hopes to help in this sphere as well but again, we need your help.

You can click here to make a personal donation . If you know of any businesses, corporations, or individuals who might be in a position to make a larger commitment, please write to me at adi@chernobyl-ireland.com. Together, we can make miracles happen for so many children like Bogdan! (Here are more pictures of our "Chernobyl Heart" children of Kharkiv, Ukraine.)

supportive care training started in belarus

kathy — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

"Supportive care" -- the care of children with severe disabilities and life limiting conditions. Chernobyl Children International cares for these children through our hospice programs in Minsk and Gomel, as well as at Vesnova institution in Mogilev.

In partnership with the ministry of health in Belarus, CCI recently opened a "baby hospice" at the No. 1 Baby Home in Minsk.

Seven year old Lida, pictured above, is one the children who benefits from this new program. She loves cartoons -- and anything (blankets, clothes) with pictures of cats!

CCI medical care coordinator Marie Cox explains, "For years we have seen children who really need palliative care placed in hospital intensive care units, simply because there was no other place for them. They were not getting the very special sort of care and comfort that they needed as long term patients. Even more importantly, because they were in hospital, their families were unable to visit them often or get involved in their care. Our new unit is family focused. Parents and family members are welcome to come in as much as they like. We even have a special family room where they can stay. "

One and a half year old Nastia, below, is a beautiful, bright child. Her parents, who have already lost one child, are eager to take her back to the comfort of her home. CCI is providing training and equipment to allow them to do so.

Our medical coordinator, Marie Cox, and a specialist team of medical professionals specializing in palliative care deliver training program to personnel at Vesnova, and at the No. 1 Baby Home in Minsk.

The training programs are designed to equip the care staff with skills and knowledge regarding the best international practices in the care of these children. The teaching includes bedside care and management.

Participants learn the importance of clinical assessment, evaluation and care planning. They also learn techniques for comfort, pain and symptom management. According to Marie, "We are committed to helping these children die with dignity, surrounded by family, and whenever possible in their own home. The training is so important -- we want our colleagues in Belarus to become experts themselves in this field, and establish themselves as a center of excellence. In order to help as many children as possible, our work here must be sustainable and and replicated."

How You Can Help

We are off to a good beginning, but there is so much more to be done. We need your support -- please donate now to help us continue to care for the most seriously ill and disabled children in Belarus. We are hoping many of our supporters will sign up for a monthly, recurring donation of $10 (or 7 Euro) a month in support. Your donation will support training, and also the equipment and assistance needed for parents to care for their children at home whenever possible.

Our Team

A team of supportive care professionals has agreed to continue working with Chernobyl Children International to develop state of the art hospice care in Belarus.

Professor Philip Larkin holds a joint academic/clinical appointment between the School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin and Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Dublin. He is also Chairperson of the Irish Association for Palliative Care.

Ms. Brenner is Head of Children’s Nursing in the School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, University College Dublin with experience in the care and management of children in receipt of assisted ventilation.

Dr. Maeve O’Reilly and Dr. Mary Devins are Consultants in Palliative Medicine. Both are based at Our Lady’s Hospital for Children, Crumlin, Dublin. Dr. Devins is Ireland’s first Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine and holds the national responsibility for the development of children’s palliative care in Ireland.

meet kiril

kathy — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:41:11 GMT

Three year old Kiril is a huge fan of the old cartoon Who's First -- a Soviet era favorite about a race between a bear, a fox, and a rabbit. He also loves to swim and play in a sandbox -- but until last week, these more strenuous activities were off-limits.

Thanks to your support, a volunteer heart surgery team is in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Just this week, Kiril received a second chance at a full, happy life.

Every year in Ukraine, 6000 children are born with genetic heart defects. Half will not receive the surgery they need to survive and will die. Chernobyl Children International sends volunteer surgery teams to Ukraine, where they operate on children for free and save their lives. Donate Now to support this life saving work.

volunteer heart surgery team lands in ukraine

kathy — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:28:00 GMT

Please join us in sending best wishes to the volunteer children's heart surgery team that has just landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine!

Every year, 6000 children are born in Ukraine with heart defects. More than half of these chldren will not receive the operations they need to survive, and will die within 2 - 5 years. Chernobyl Children International sends volunteer surgery teams to perform free operations and save lives. This is our second mission of six this year.

Our intervention has saved the lives of hundreds of children in Ukraine and Belarus who suffer from a marked increase in cardiac birth defects since the Chernobyl disaster. You can support this work when you donate online now.

video: "life changing moment" for performers at chernobyl orphanage

kathy — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:09:00 GMT

(Viewing on email? You may need to click here to see the video.)

Last month, the Rathmines Rathgar Musical Society visited the Vesnova orphanage for disabled children in the Mogilev region of Belarus. The brief video documents their interaction with the children.

The seriously disabled children have their unique way of responding to the stimulation of music and song. One performer calls the experience a "life changing moment." Watch as the singers and children perform for and learn from each other.

Visit Chernobyl Children International to learn about how we help children and communities and Chernobyl affected regions of Ukraine and Belarus.

annya: "life bends me really hard."

kathy — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:35:40 GMT

Greenpeace presents this video portrait of Annya Pesenko, a young woman who is part of Chernobyl Children International's hospice program in Gomel, Belarus. Annya is unable to leave home often, but she draws, writes poetry, and dreams of being a DJ.

(If you are viewing this through email, you may need to click on to our website to see the video.)

Annya's parents lived in a town so contaminated by Chernobyl, that it had to be plowed under. At age 4, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Chernobyl Children International's hospice and community care programs allow parents of children like Annya to care for them at home, rather than place them in institutional care.

Annya: "I will live through all / and I will become stronger / and I will leave something for you to remember me."

Photos and interview by Robert Knoth.

"after chernobyl: heart of darkness, part 3"

kathy — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:00:00 GMT

A close-up of a control panel for the Chernobyl Fourth Block reactor shows where the emergency shutdown buttons used to be.

This is a guest series by Michael Forster Rothbart, a documentary photographer who for the past three years photographed and interviewed people who still live in the Chernobyl region today.

For the last weeks I’ve been reflecting on my first visit inside Chernobyl’s ground zero, while I worry about the long-term impacts of meltdown for Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture.

In the dark control room, we find and study the hole in the reactor control panel where the 3 big red emergency buttons used to be. (Yes, they really were red. But most of the buttons and controls were long since stripped during decontamination). Here, on 4/26/86 during the 41 seconds between 1:23:04 AM and 1:23:45 AM, an operator desperately hit these buttons to insert all emergency shutdown rods back into the reactor. But it was too late.

In the past few minutes here I’ve felt anticipation, fear, surprise and awe. Finally comes anxiety. Time is passing quickly and I have work to do. This is a very dark and very large room, and I brought just one off-camera flash to light it, since I was advised to carry as little as possible into the dirty zone. I jump into working, leveling my plastic-wrapped tripod and directing my “voice-activated light stand” (AKA my assistant Sergii), and there is no longer room in my head for thinking about the implications of this space.

After we emerge, I study a model of the plant. I can't quite believe we were inside the belly of the beast. And I am also amazed how low our radiation dose was. We received just 0.007 milliSieverts of radiation during our hours inside, about what you'd get on two hours of a transatlantic flight.

This low dose is just because the control room is shielded and cleaned regularly. (Which leads me to ask: What do you do with the wastewater? More on that another time.) The reactor hall, just on the other side of a 3-meter-thick reinforced concrete wall, remains unsafe to enter.

The Chernobyl plant has gotten inside my head. Although my photography mostly focuses on people, it is important to include the epicenter from which all other effects radiate.

During my interviews, I've realized that what Chernobyl means to people says more about them than about the disaster. Some discount it entirely. Some mourn for a paradise lost. Some fear it. Some blame it. For me, when I started, Chernobyl was a lingering danger that needed to be uncovered. And now? I'll get back to you on that.

anna speaks: a chernobyl survivor in her own words

kathy — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:12:00 GMT

Anna, flanked by Adi Roche and godmother Ali Hewson, shows off her new legs.

"My name is Anna. I am eighteen years old. I came to Ireland when I was 3 and a half. I arrived in Shannon Airport with Adi Roche on the cold winter morning of January 6, 1996 to a new family. I was very young so I can’t really remember what it was like back in Belarus. I came from the No 1 Orphanage Home in Minsk. Had I reached the age of four in Belarus, I would have been put into a mental asylum and I would have had very little hope of survival.

"When I came to Ireland, I had poor hearing along with two deformed legs and an extra finger on my thumbs due to the Chernobyl disaster. My new family accepted me with wide open arms. As a young child I used a wheelchair if I got tired from walking. My hearing is not very good in both ears as I have no ear canals at all, so I wear a bone conductor to help me hear.

"At 13, I was 3 ft 5 inches tall (due to my unusual legs) and still very small compared to all my friends. I thought I had no hope of being the same height as them. Then I was introduced to a orthopedic doctor named Andries De Bont. He changed my life. I now have two artificial legs from hips to my toes, and I am 5 ft 3 inches tall – or I can be any height I like with the flick of a screwdriver!

"Now I can see the colour of people’s eyes close up and can really notice how beautiful they look. I can smell people’s perfume for the first time. I can even make my own toast at counter-top height in the kitchen. I can see things over tall shelves and can talk to all my friends and family at eye level. I am just like any other 18 year old. I love hanging out with all my friends. I go out around town every now and again. I go to soccer, rugby and football matches with my friends. I also drive my very own car.

"I am doing my exams and I am hoping to get good results so that I can go on to college next year. My life has changed since I stepped foot in Ireland and I thank my family and most of all my mama and papa, Helen and Robert Gabriel, and all my sisters. I want to also say a big thank you to Adi Roche and all the staff at the office in Chernobyl Children International.

"And last but not least, I want to say some words of thanks to the person who first took me in their arms that day in the orphanage when I was a small wee baby and is now my god-mother, Ali Hewson – the best Fairy Godmother in the world!"

"remembering chernobyl: 25 years of perseverance"

kathy — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:55:47 GMT

On April 26th, the anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, Vasily Fedirko stands in the Pirogovichi village graveyard as he pays tribute to his wife’s parents. Every year at Easter time, Ukrainians return to their native villages to eat a ceremonial meal in the cemetery and remember those who have died. Especially in Chernobyl-affected areas, this tradition has become a reunion as former neighbors come together once more to feast and reminisce.

This is a guest series by Michael Forster Rothbart, a documentary photographer who for the past three years photographed and interviewed people who still live in the Chernobyl region today.

On this day, 25 years ago, the Chernobyl tragedy began. It hasn’t ended yet.

Some 350,000 people were displaced by the accident. They will never return home. 850,000 liquidators worked in the clean up after the accident. Many of them now have health problems. A total of six million people still live in the contaminated region today.

Every year, at solemn anniversaries such as today, somber government officials stand up and make speeches about how we must never forget. They will make these speeches today.

I disagree. We will forget. In fact, we must. We can’t spend all our lives mourning the tragedies and mistakes of the past. At best, we would all become paralyzed.

Memory is a curious thing. It ebbs and flows. After my years in the Chernobyl region, I remember it 100 times a week, but it is not the tragedy I recall. I see the lilac and cherries blooming here and I think of spring arriving in the Ukrainian village where I lived. I get on a train and I remember Lyuda and her friends playing the card game Durak on their daily commute to the Chernobyl plant. I see a tattoo and I grieve for a moment for Vasily, who died last year of cancer at age 57. I picture the drawing of his wife, which he tattooed on his shoulder after she died, also from cancer, in 2007.

The more personal a memory is, the more different ways it gets triggered. This is why I share people’ stories. This is why I object to the news wire photos you’ll see today, essentially the same shots you saw last year. The abandoned Ferris wheel in Pripyat. A dosimeter outside the Chernobyl plant. Mourners at the memorial in Slavutych. How quickly our vision narrows and our collective memories grow worn!

The people who live near Chernobyl don’t think and talk about the accident every day. How could they? They have lives to lead. The ones who can’t cease talking about it—like soldiers with post-traumatic stress—are not the healthiest of the survivors.

So let us not dwell on death. Let’s celebrate 25 years of perseverance. Let’s ask how we can help those who are still struggling. Let us remember and honor the tragedy today, and tomorrow, let us forget, and go on to remember other things. The lilac and cherry trees are blooming.

video: "there is hope: it's you." music by U2

kathy — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:14:20 GMT

"fallout: chernobyl 25," photos by robert knoth

kathy — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:00:00 GMT

In remote villages of the Ukraine, contaminated food is part of daily life. There is no choice.

After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Ukrainian government regularly monitored the food and soil of the affected areas, this monitoring discontinued in 2009.

In 2011, Greenpeace visited the Ukraine with photographer Robert Knoth to carry out independent research. In one village alone, the Caesium-137 content of milk was 1.2-16.3 times above the allowed limit for children.

Visit Chernobyl Children International to learn more about what is happening in Chernobyl affected regions today.