physical therapy volunteer in action & very special chernobyl children off to camps

Pediatric physical and occupational therapist Marisa C. Birkmeier is one of hundreds of Chernobyl Children's Project International volunteers who donate their professional skills to help children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.  Marisa, who holds a doctorate and practices at Children's National Medical Center in Washington DC, recently returned from a trip to Minsk. She was a guest at the Belarusian State Sports University, where she lectured to scores of students and professors on current best practices in their field.  

Afterwards, Marisa accompanied CCPI medical care program coordinators Marie Cox and Valentin Chernyakevich to visit children in our Minsk community care program, a program that helps families take care of their disabled children at home, rather than resort to the nightmare of institutionalization.  The photos show Marisa working with children and sharing techniques to prevent further disability with one of our Belarusian team members. Click here to learn more about the community care program.  If you can, please click here to make a donation to support the program. 

CCPI camps bring fun and hope to disabled children and children recovering from heart disease and cancer.

Again this summer, your donations are making it possible for 200 children who live in contaminated areas of Belarus to attend summer camp on healthy soil. And we have a special commitment to send kids who would not otherwise be able to go.  At our Healthy Hearts camp, we teach good health and fitness habits to children who have received life saving surgery through the cardiac program.  Most of these children lived severely restricted lives prior to surgery. Camp is a place where they can, in many cases for the first time, revel in their new health and socialize with other kids. Our Rainbow of Hope camp is for children in recovering from cancer. Two very special camps welcome children from our community care program and the Vesnova Children's Mental Asylum. 

Meanwhile, CCPI welcomed 1000 children from Chernobyl regions to Ireland this past Sunday, where they will spend summer holidays. Some of the children will be guests at Paul Newman's Barretstown Castle camp for children facing cancer and other life threatening illness.