Family speaks about hosting Belarusian child in support of Friends of Chernobyl's Children
A host family has spoken of the special bond it has formed with a Belarusian child who visits yearly to escape the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.
The city of Mogilev was at the epicentre of the radiation cloud blown towards Belarus after the reactor at the Ukrainian nuclear power station exploded in 1986.
This is the city 12-year-old Zhenya currently lives in with her family.
Thanks to the Diss and District branch of Friends of Chernobyl’s Children, she gets to escape the radiation for a month each year and stays with Dean and the branch’s secretary Clare Chambers.
“We were terrified at first, to be honest,” said Mrs Chambers, 38.
“The day before she arrived, we were concerned we wouldn’t be able to communicate with her.
“But Zhenya slotted into the family from day one and she’s been a part of our lives ever since.”
The couple are one of 10 Diss families to host children from disadvantaged social backgrounds and in need of healthcare and love.
The children come for one month every year for five consecutive years, which has shown to have a significant effect on their overall quality of life, health and wellbeing.
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“The time we have with Zhenya is special. We are actually dreading next year because it will be her last,” said Mrs Chambers, who is an administrator.
“We don’t really want to think about it at the moment.”
While in Diss, the children take part in daily trips and activities and are given access to healthcare.
“They all love the beach, because Belarus is a landlocked country, so they don’t see the sea very often,” said Mrs Chambers.
“They love the the coast, so we try to do that as much as possible and keep them in the fresh air.”
The children arrived in the last week of term and departed after a month with their families.
“It’s very rewarding. We get as much out if it as they do,” said Mrs Chambers, who signed up to the programme after seeing an advert on the social media platform Facebook.
“Getting to know Zhenya and seeing her grow has been the highlight for me. My son Edward, who was only two when she started coming, thinks she is his big sister from Belarus.
“He loves her coming and is always counting down the days until her next visit.”
For more information on how you can support the charity, visit their website.