Chernobyl Children's Project International

ali hewson's big jump for chernobyl children

This past Saturday CCPI board member Ali Hewson rappelled down Ireland's tallest building -- the Elysian in Cork City -- to raise funds for Chernobyl Children's Project International's Homes of Hope program.

Ali, who founded ethical clothing line EDUN and is married to U2's Bono, admitted to be terrified at the prospect of the jump -- but found her inspiration in Olga and Kristina, two young girls visiting Ireland for surgery who have lived their entire  lives in the Vesnova mental asylum in Belarus. Funds raised will allow the girls, and others like them, to move out of institutions and into loving homes of their own.  CCPI has already established 23 Homes of Hope in Belarus, where children rescued from orphanages can grow up in families.

Ali's sons John (9) and Elijah (7) were on hand as Ali noted that Olga and Kristina came into Ireland unable to walk, but will now be able to walk into a real home. The event was sponsored by students of Garda College Templemore and Ernst & Young.  You can show your support by making a donation now.  Ali:  "If a lot of people give a little, it can mean so much."

The photo shows Olga, CCPI found Adi Roche, Ali, and Kristina.  Olga and Kristina are recovering from surgery last week and undergoing therapy that will allow them to walk again and live independent lives.

video: "people who care": chernobyl volunteers

In this 7-minute video you'll see how, with your support,  Chernobyl Children's Project International volunteers are helping children and families who continue to live with the medical, social, and economic effects of the Chernobyl disaster.  (If you can't see the video above, click here.)

This month marks the 23rd anniversary of the accident, a disaster that displaced hundreds of thousands of people and put many regions of Belarus and Ukraine under severe economic strain.  The video describes CCPI's programs with some of the most vulnerable people in the region -- children with mental and physical disabilities, children living in institutions, and children with severe medical conditions.  You'll see our volunteer cardiac surgery teams at work, meet disabled young adults we are helping to live independently for the first time, and meet families created by joining children who lived in orphanages with loving and foster parents.

You can click here to learn more about how we help in Chernobyl regions. Click here to get daily updates on Twitter.  On the CCPI Channel on YouTube, you can experience the personal stories of our volunteers and the children and families with whom we work, and see documentaries about Chernobyl and CCPI.  If you like what you see, please make a donation to support our work.