Chernobyl Aid Ireland was established in 1997 to help the children of Grozovo Boarding School. It’s a home for 200 children aged from seven till seventeen. Grozovo Boarding School is 120 km outside Minsk – the capital of Belarus. All the children come from social backgrounds and need all the help they can get. The aim of Chernobyl Aid Ireland is to turn Grozovo from the former military barracks into decent place to live and go to school. We also provide medical and dental treatment for the children. A group of volunteer ordinary working people went out in June last year and gave up their time freely (paying for own flights etc.) They carried out vital improvements including, landscaping of the gardens, tree surgery, painting and decorating of dorms, repairing heating system, cleaning drains repairing leaks we also went out and repaired and replaced a number of water softeners that were broken-down. This was causing water boilers that were used for heating the water to stop working and this meant that the children had to have cold showers which in winter time was not pleasant. We also fitted a new water softener (donated by Whitewater supplier Wycombe Water and pallet of salt donated by Whitewater) in the laundry where they wash all the clothes for 200 children. For the first time this produced many more suds than the children were used to seeing!! All of this work is vital maintenance that is done on a bi-annual basis that keeps this home in good working order. For more information on the work carried out by Chernobyl Aid Ireland visit their website www.chernobylaidireland.ie

Grozovo Boarding School aundry with new suds!

Grozova Boarding School – The laundry with logs for winter fuel in the background

Some of these children are very young

Grozovo Boarding School – Pouring concrete for new path through green area

Grozovo Boarding School – Some older kids doing waht all kids do!

New water softener donated by Supplier of Whitewater installed in laundry

This is Dasha, our helper and translator, she will be in Ireland to visit her family, she speaks great
English with a beautiful Limerick accent