This photograph shows 10 young men who grew up in the Vesnova Mental Asylum in Belarus, in the living room of their new home. This time last year, the boys were about to be transfered to a dismal and crowded adult mental institution where they would spend the rest of their lives, segregated from society. Today, they are learning to live independently in a terrace of five accessible apartments. This is the first project of its kind in Belarus, and we hope it will serve as "proof of concept" that children with a variety of mental and physical abilities can, with support and training, live independently.
The young men are (from left to right, Sasha, Sasha, Misha, Sasha, Vanya, Oleg, Grisha, Sasha, Kolya, and Vasia.) CCPI founder Adi Roche joins them.
The apartments were built, decorated, and furnished by volunteers of Chernobyl Children's Project International, and financed by donors and Irish volunteers. Children of Chernobyl of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia raised funds to support 24 hour caregivers (who will stay in an attached flat) Belarusian children enjoying summer holidays in the US participated in raising the funds.
Click here to learn more and to see a video of one of the young men, Sasha Levkin, at the opening ceremony for the homes this past October. (You can see more videos of the children of Vesnova on the CCPI Channel on YouTube.)
Sasha understands that he and the other young men are in a true sense "pioneers" for the disabled in his country. As I watched him thank the gathered volunteers and supporters in October, I kept thinking back to when I first met them as young boys in October 2003, the conditions they were living in, and how things have changed. The photos show the kids as we found them -- sitting on rotting, urine soaked mattresses, covered in flies, and endlessly rocking, moaning and picking at themselves. In the years since (and with your financial support), CCPI volunteers have physically transformed the institution to meet and exceed standards of of safety, 
hygiene and dignity. At the same time, CCPI developed a standard of medical and therapeutic care, sending teams of volunteers to care for children and train their peers, and hiring and training caregivers. Vesnova is a transformed place, but our goal is to put each child who lives there today on the path to independent living or life in a family home.
