Report on the 37th Delivery of Aid
The members of Hilfe für Tschernobyl geschädigte Kinder e.V., a registered association founded to support children affected by the Chernobyl disaster, set off for Belarus with two heavily laden 40-tonne trucks on 19 October 2010. This was to be their 37th drop-off of aid for distribution to the hospitals, social services and children’s homes of Mogilev. Three weeks before the convoy set off, the whole project was thrown into doubt by the news that the vehicles to be used for the delivery, namely two articulated trucks and an escort vehicle, could not be made available after all.
Just in the nick of time, however, two substitute trucks were provided by Stollenwerk, while RWE Power supplied a Ford Transit van, thus ensuring that the aid delivery could go ahead.
The two containers which in Erftstadt had been stuffed full of medical equipment and aid, including wheelchairs, warm clothes and toys for children, thus found their way to Mogilev, a town in the fallout zone of Chernobyl.
Ford in Cologne launched a campaign of its own that yielded an additional 160 boxes full of warm children’s clothes for loading onto the two Stollenwerk trucks. The people of Belarus are always glad of warm clothes to help them cope with their long and cold winters. The first snow of the coming winter fell in October in Mogilev, where most housing is poorly insulated and the gas and electricity supply unreliable.
"The Information Centre is a popular day out for parties of schoolchildren," says Krause. But the interior is badly in need of repairs, to say nothing of a fresh coat of paint. For Krause, this was reason enough to initiate an RWE Companius project for which he took on the role of supervisor. "We didn’t just renovate the rooms; we also fitted them with new presentation equipment so that they can enlarge their educational offering for children of all ages and the public at large," explains Krause. "It’s important for children and young people to learn about the animals native to the region where they live."
Even before the convoy had returned from its mission, committee member Thomas Schulze called his fellow members in Erftstadt from Mogilev to alert them to the sad case of Irina Golenkowa. Aged just 20, Irina has such severe diabetes that two months ago she went blind. Surgery to prevent this is not possible in Belarus, nor does the family have enough money for medication. Irina lives with her mother in a two-room apartment together with her mother’s elderly bedridden parents, whose bunk bed she has to share. The Erftstadt-based association is therefore trying to raise funds for an operation to restore Irina’s sight, which will have to be done soon if it is to succeed. Anyone who wishes to support the work of Hilfe für Tschernobyl geschädigte Kinder e.V. is asked to contact its Chairman Willi Frohn, 0221/ 461830 or Press Spokesman Carsten Quittek, 02252/ 838242, who would be happy to provide any additional information required.
