The Children of Chernobyl
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Among the most saddening and clearly the most innocent victims of the Chernobyl accident are the children. Twenty-two years after the accident, the effects of the dangerous lingering radiation are still being observed in the children of Chernobyl and surrounding areas, and many families are rendered helpless by poverty and some even appear to be resigned to their fates.
Many children in the region are born with severe defects. Some that are born seemingly healthy end up developing serious problems down the line, such as thyroid cancer. Stunted growth seems to be commonplace, along with poor dental health. All of these problems are compounded by the extreme poverty in the area, inadequate nutrition, and the lack of proper medical care in the region.
Likely another result of the poverty in the area is an increased use of alcohol being observed in young adults, and children are often being born to very young parents who are not capable of taking proper care of them.
Fortunately, several organizations worldwide have reached out to the children of Chernobyl and the children of the other affected areas in the region. The Chernobyl Children Project USA is a non-profit organization established in 1995 that provides aid for the children of Chernobyl in the form of medical consultations, dental care, clothing, gifts, and they even organize social events for them. They also send much needed medical supplies to hospitals in the region. A similar organization called Chernobyl Children’s Project International provides a “Rest and Recuperation” program (among several other programs) that allows children and their families an opportunity to take a much needed annual vacation to the country of Ireland, and more importantly, away from their unhealthy environments. The “Rest and Recuperation” program is made possible by the host families that are kind enough to open their homes to the unfortunate families.
While the children and the families of Chernobyl face great adversity in their communities, many are given hope and inspiration by the demonstrations of sympathy and support from the around the world.
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i neevr knew about chernobyl until resently and i think it is an amazeing thing that we can all learn from