Spotlight On

Mission:
We are dedicated to providing humanitarian and medical aid to the 3-4 million children the United Nations recognizes as suffering from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986. We serve children without respect to race, religion, or sex. Our primary goal is to promote the development of medical community and humanitarian aid programs that serve to increase self-sufficiency and permanent change in the region. Through our partnerships with governmental agencies and medical facilities in the region, we encourage joint solutions and permanent solutions to better serve these children.

Background:
April 26, 1986, at 1:23 a.m., reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded. 190 tons of radioactive debris were released into the atmosphere during the explosion -- the equivalent of 90 Hiroshima bombs.

At the time of the explosion, the prevailing winds were directed north to northwest, so that Belarus received 70% of the radioactive fallout.

The terrible legacy of the Chernobyl accident lives on…

Eighteen years have passed since the people of this small country suffered the highest known exposure to radiation of the atomic age. Millions of people continue to suffer medically, socially and economically.

The larger existing U.S. charities that provide aid and rehabilitation programs in the region focus almost exclusively on the Ukraine. A relatively large Ukrainian population in the United States has formed several successful organizations that deliver humanitarian aid to their homeland. Belarus, however, received 70% of the radiation fallout, and suffers an ever-growing health crisis. The need for medical treatment and humanitarian programs for these children is greater now than it was 18 years ago.

CCPI is the US affiliate of Chernobyl Children's Project of Ireland, which has an excellent 13-year track record of delivering over $55 million in aid, 160 new ambulances and providing rest, recuperation and medical treatment for over 10,000 children. CCPI's mission is to leverage CCPI Ireland's established volunteer network, to tap into US expertise and resources, and to partner with established organizations, to meet long term and immediate humanitarian needs of the forgotten children of Belarus.

Current Programs:

Cardiac Surgical Trips - CCPI and the International Children's Heart Foundation have announced a 5-year partnership in which CCPI will provide financial and logistical support to American cardiac surgeons to enable them to make a minimum of three surgical trips per year to Belarus. The medical trips, led by William Novick, MD, will provide surgery for many children deemed inoperable by Belarusian cardiologists. Dr. Novick memorably appears in the film "Chernobyl Heart." The program provides state of the art equipment and technology to work and train local physicians.

Cleft Lip/Cleft Palate Surgeries and Training - CCPI and Operation Smile have formed a 5-year partnership to bring reconstructive surgeons from all over the world to Belarus. Cleft lip/cleft palate disorders that threaten a child's health and ability to live a normal life are alarmingly prevalent in Belarus. The CCPI-Operation Smile Inaugural Mission took place in May 2004, and will include a week of training seminars for Belarusian surgeons.

Nursing Programs - CCPI directs a portion of funding to staff, train, and pay local health professionals to work in children's orphanages in Belarus. A team of professionals travels regularly to Belarus to manage and oversea the program and offer support to their Belarusian counterparts. Beneficiaries of this program include the Vesnova Mental Asylum (depicted in the film "Chernobyl Heart"), the No. 1 Home in Minsk, and the Novinki Institute.

In Kind Donations of Medical Equipment - CCPI works closely with the pharmaceutical and medical supplies industry to locate donated and at-cost medical equipment and disposables for hospitals in Belarus. For instance, in partnership with Seimans Medical Corporation, CCPI supplies ultrasound equipment for the Gomel Regional Hospital. Also, Integra Corporation recently donated previously unavailable surgical shunts that will save the lives of children who suffer from hydroencephally, a painful and fatal condition that causes fluid build up in the skull.

Critical Care Ambulances - Since its establishment, Chernobyl Children's Project International has built and maintained a fleet of over 180 ambulances in Belarus and Western Russian. The ambulances work in tandem with orphanages and hospitals to ensure that children in the most remote areas can have access to proper medical care.

Humanitarian Aid - CCPI directs a portion of our funding for the purchase and transportation of humanitarian aid in a yearly convoy from Ireland. These convoys have provided over $55 million dollars in aid to the children of Belarus. We provide this aid while recognizing that institutions are not a viable long term solution for the care of children. Building projects are underway in Vesnova, Kletsk, and Novinki.

Rest and Recuperation - To date, over 10,000 children from contaminated zones in Belarus and Western Russian have been brought to Ireland for recuperative holidays and life saving medical treatment. Bringing these children to Ireland takes advantage of Ireland's well-established family volunteer network, and is far more cost-effective compared to bringing children into the United States.

Hospice Program - Chernobyl Children's Project International/Ireland works in partnership with the Gomel Hospice Association in providing assistance to families who wish to care for the terminally ill children at home.

Outreach - Through our partnerships with American medical organizations that we sponsor, local doctors and nurses from Belarus receive training both in their country (by participating hands on in the surgical trips and onsite training seminars that CCPI funds 3-5 times a year) and in the United States. Local surgeons and doctors are brought to the United States to participate in medical seminars that train them in the latest procedures and technology.

Funding Needs:
CCPI seeks specific funding for it's medical programs to offer hope to the millions of sick children that continue to be affected by the disaster and for the continued education of the local physicians so that we can promote further self sufficiency in the region.

In addition, CCPI seeks general operating funds in support of personnel costs related to project coordination for nurse training, and processing visa's for ill children to be brought out of Belarus for rest, recuperation and medical treatment.

Every month, the "Spotlight On" highlights the activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located in the tri-state region (NY, NJ, or CT). The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight On" is based on criteria such as programmatic interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure the broadest possible representation of the region's nonprofit sector. While the Foundation Center strives to showcase the diverse range of organizations in the area, selection for "Spotlight On" does not constitute an endorsement by the Foundation Center.

If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight," please use this submission form to send us a profile of your organization. Or e-mail a description of your organization, following the above format, to nyweb@foundationcenter.org with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.