Chernobyl Children's Project International

helena christensen & vipp join forces for chernobyl children

Long time CCPI supporter, model, and photographer Helena Christensen is hosting a charity auction in New York to benefit Chernobyl Children's Project International.  Her partner is Danish design company VIPP, a family owned business whose handcrafted stainless steel waste bins have been objects of desire for decades.

Leaders from the worlds of fashion, design, art, and entertainment  -- Helena, Bono, Michael Stipe of REM, Christy Turlington, Greta Monahan, Dale Chihuly, and Mario Batali are a few -- will make custom designed waste bins that will be auctioned at an event in September.  Do you live in NYC?  The bins will be on display for public viewing and pre-bidding at The Conran Shop at 407 East 59th Street at First Avenue, September 4 - September 17.  Please come out, these bins are well worth a look!

One of my favorites is by artist Mattia Biagi, whose tar dipped bin is pictured above.  He told Blackbook Magazine that it "represents the relationship between human beings and their own pollution in modern society."  Other designers, like Alice Temperley (the pink and bejeweled bin pictured) took a decorative and whimsical approach.  We are so grateful to the artists for participating, and to VIPP for their leadership and trust.

We feel a special gratitude to Helena, who has been very "hands on" with her support of CCPI for years, and always surprises us with her fun, creative approach to giving.

video: "return to chernobyl" -- a volunteer's story of survival, service, and learning

In the summer of 2003, architect, broadcaster, and Chernobyl Children's Project International volunteer Duncan Stewart was in Belarus to design two buildings for Chernobyl affected communities,  and to film a documentary.  He suffered a near fatal accident.

Two years later, in recovery from massive injuries, he returned to see the completed work, reconstruct his broken memory, and learn more about the impact of Chernobyl on children and families in Belarus.  This video tells the shocking story of Duncan's accident and rescue, his emotional reunion with the Belarusian doctors who saved him, and the CCPI mission that brought him to Belarus in the first place.

If you are viewing this post on email or a feed, you may need to click to the Chernobyl Children's Project International website to view the film.  This nine minute clip is part one of six parts.   We'll post the others periodically, or you can watch them now on the CCPI Chernobyl Channel on YouTube.

Shortly after his accident and in honor of the Belarusian medical professionals who saved his life, Duncan and his wife Agneta hosted a "Chernobyl Heart Ball" in Ireland that raised significant funds in support of our children's cardiac surgery program in Minsk.

Return to Chernobyl is a survival story and an emotional personal journey. And it's a great way to learn about the Chernobyl accident, the zeal of CCPI volunteers, and CCPI projects in Belarus that are making a difference in the lives of children and families who are rebuilding their lives in the aftermath of Chernobyl.

volunteer kids' dental program begins this month in chernobyl regions

A vivid memory of my first visit to the Vesnova Mental Asylum for Children some 6 years ago was the heart breaking state of the children's teeth. The sight and smell of over one hundred sets of rotting teeth -- and the suffering that undoubtedly goes with it -- is impossible to forget.

That is why we are glad to announce, starting this month, a dental program at both Vesnova and at the Soltanokva Asylum for adults. A volunteer team headed up by Teresa Cronin and Mary Sugrue will travel to Belarus twice a year to give dental care to children and adults living in these institutions, and to train caregivers on hygiene.

Chernobyl Children's Project International hires and trains nurses and caregivers to improve quality of care in understaffed institutions in Chernobyl affected regions. Teams of medical and therapeutic volunteers travel monthly to work with children and -- most important -- to train their peers in the community in techniques to improve the care of the children year round.

These photos demonstrate how critical is this program. If you would like to make a donation to support the CCPI dental care program, click here. Sponsorships are available, email me for details.

Photos include Vadim (bravely having his first dental exam), Maxim (a wonderful boy from Vesnova with terribly rotten teeth), Igor (at top, full of personality) from Vesnova, and a young adult from the Soltanovka.