As soon as the airspace over Europe cleared, 40 student Gardai (Irish police) descended on the Belarusian town of Zhytkovichi to build a "Home of Hope" where 10 children rescued from orphanages will soon live in a loving family of their own.
The students worked for a year to raise funds for the project, organizing a Skiathon, a Rowathon, and -- last May -- an abseil down Ireland's tallest building featuring board member Ali Hewson.
Chernobyl Children's Project International has purchased 21 Homes of Hope in Belarus, where over 200 former orphans -- many with shocking backgrounds of neglect and abuse -- are living happy lives and breaking the cycle of poverty and abandonment. (Meet the Zhila, Gudkovskie, and Savin families.)
CCPI founder Adi Roche met the Gardai onsite, joined by singer/songwriter Oksana Grigorieva. Oksana recently raised funds for a CCPI children's cardiac surgery mission in Ukraine, and spent the week visiting CCPI project sites and families throughout Belarus.
