BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

26/07/2007

Belarusian children get a break in Stanly

Children affected by radiation come to enjoy time in America

By Kim Kinnecom, Staff Writer

Thursday, July 26, 2007 - Lena discovered a love for ice cream and her distaste for grilled cheese sandwiches. She even got her ears pierced. Nastya loves the beach, mowing the yard and driving the tractor.

The girls, 7 and 9, have been hosted by local families for five weeks through the American Belarusian Relief Program (ABRO), a nonprofit, Christian organization that commits itself to bettering the lives of children who live in areas contaminated with radiation from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Each summer, the organization, based in Zebulon, N.C., provides a home-stay in the United States for children like Nastya and Lena, who are typically orphans and foster children.

The children, all affected by some degree of radiation, receive medical, dental and eye care, as well as the opportunity to enjoy clean food and water, fresh air and nurturing from American families.

Belarus is one of the countries most affected by the April 26, 1986 nuclear power plant accident in neighboring Ukraine, absorbing approximately 70 percent of the total radiation emitted from the worst accident in the history of nuclear power.

The effects of the disaster on human life have been horrifying and the total effects may never be known completely. Children born after the incident still suffer from maternal exposure, which causes varying hereditary and congenital defects including severe organ damage, developmental abnormalities, increased numbers of miscarriages, premature births and stillbirths.

ABRO's summer stay program helps to increase the quality and duration of the children's' lives while living in an environment free of the impacts of radiation.

To date, more than 5,000 children between 7 and 16 have participated in United States home-stays while another 400 children have benefited from summer programs in the uncontaminated region of Belarus.

The outreach to the children of Belarus has enormous impacts on the children's well-being, but also offers life lessons for the American families who take them in.

One Albemarle family has been involved with the ABRO program for two summers and has hopes to one day visit their host child, Nastya, in Belarus.

Sarah Krick, 17, a Gray Stone graduate and to-be sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill learned about the ABRO opportunity through church. She shared the information with her parents Lola and Eddie, and sister, Lilli, who have since welcomed Nastya as one of their own.

"I've worked with kids a lot and just have a soft spot in my heart for them. This was something we were meant to do and she fits in just like a sister," Krick said.

Lola said their family had been interested in participating in mission work and felt like ABRO was the right opportunity.

"She just grabs your heart," she said.

Another Stanly County family learned about the ABRO opportunity from the Kricks, who they knew from Canton Baptist Church. Angie and Jerry Hatley of Oakboro participated in the program for the first time this summer, welcoming Lena into their home, who has been quite the playmate for their two-year-old daughter Claire.

"Lena fits right in to our family. Her personality is very similar to my husband's and they're really close," Angie said.

While visiting, the girls have received general medical care from community volunteers, including medical exams from local nurse practitioners, dental exams from the Health Department and eye exams from Horizon Eye Care in Charlotte.

"So many people in the community have donated their time and services or money to the program," Lola said.

Aside from receiving medical care during their visit, the girls have also been able to attend Russian Bible School provided through the Slavic Baptist Church in Charlotte as well as attending Canton Baptist Church with their host families.

Some unique experiences the girls have had were going to the beach and mountains.

"Nastya loves to swim. We took her to the shore and to Tweetsie Railroad in the mountains," Lola said.

When asked what she enjoyed most, Nastya said, "swimming pool, ocean, seashells."

Nastya also enjoys helping out in the kitchen and vacuuming, though driving the tractor with Eddie is probably one of her favorite things to do.

"Things we take for granted - they appreciate so much. It's been great for our children to watch her because they have everything," Lola said.

The girls who arrived only with the clothing they wore and gifts for their host families, will return to Mogilev, Belarus Saturday with many gifts and donations they've received, such as winter clothing and shoes.

The Kricks and Hatleys said both girls have expressed interest in returning next summer, but are ready to return home. Nastya will return to a small hostel where she lives with her mother and Lena to a couple who fosters her.

"Time just goes by so fast. There's so much to do, so much you want to show them and so much for them to learn, and then time's up. But, it's been wonderful," Lola said.

After the girls depart, the families will be busy preparing for next year, getting the word out to hopefully establish a group for Stanly County, and fundraising for the children's travel expenses, which are approximately $2,000 each.

"We would love to develop a group in Stanly County. We need five children to come to Stanly County homes to set up a group here," Sarah said.

"And for people who can't host a child, but want to help, they can provide clothing, supplies or donate money to help the kids get here."

For information about how to participate in the ABRO summer program, contact the Kricks and Hatleys by e-mail at AFHatley@ctc.net and CKrick@carolina.rr.com. For more information about ABRO, visit www.abro.org.

Source:

http://www.thesnaponline.com/local/local_story_207143808.html

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