HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-07-19, Page 6Getting a breath of fresh air
Two local families are hosting children from Belarus for seven weeks this summer in an
effort to help their immune systems fight the devastating effects of radiation. In back are:
Jessica Lawrie, Jacob Nonkes, Meghan Hefferman, Valentina Solodouka, Ashley Lawrie
and Olga Mourashko. In front: hosts Sally Lawrie (husband Tim was absent), Giena Nonkes
holding son Micah and Eric Nonkes.
Wingham Drive-In
Cleaners
announces
effective Tuesday, August 1
Stitches by M.J.
in Blyth
will be our new agent
for dry cleaning pickup
Dry Cleaning will be picked up
every Tuesday & Friday afternoon
ThankYou
to
Jim & Thelma Wilson
of Wilson's Health & Gift Centre
in Blyth
for their patronage & service
over the past 25 years.
We greatly appreciate it.
- John, Isobel, Corey,
Heather & Bruce
Wingham Drive-In Cleaners
CHRISTY SCOTT
The daughter of Ken and Laura
Scott of RR1, Blyth, Christy will be
attending the University of Water-
loo. She is in the Honours Arts
Applied Studies Co-op Program.
Area girls CHSS scholars
DEBORAH VAN STEELANDT
Deborah will be attending the
University of Waterloo this fall to
study Kinesiology. She is the
daughter of Frank and Dorothy of
RR1, Blyth.
Stephanie will begin Business
tudies at McMaster this fall. She is
he daughter of Lynda Lentz and
uncan MacGregor, Blyth and Carl
nd Anne Marie Lentz, Goderich.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 19, 1995.
Girls visit here a breath of fresh air
By Janice Becker
Living in Southwestern Ontario,
we rarely consider the risk of radia-
tion from a nuclear plant though
one is only a few miles away.
However, for two young girls
from Belarus, in what was once the
Soviet Union, the devastating
effects of such a disaster are a daily
part of their lives.
Valentina Solodouka, II and
Olga Mourashko, 10, both live in
Kostykovichy, near the nuclear
plant in Chernobyl, where the trag-
ic leak of massive amounts of radi-
ation oxurred nine years ago.
But for them, the effortQ of two
Canadians families as well as oth-
ers around the world, has brought
them a few weeks of relief from the
contaminated area.
Giena and Eric Nonkes of RR1,
Auburn and Tim and Sally Lawrie
of RR1, Blyth, are hosting the girls
for seven weeks this summer.
"When Olga arrived, she was
very pale with purple around her
eyes," says Sally. "Because of
Olga's small, bony frame, her inter-
preter (who meets weekly with the
family) was quite worried about
her."
"After only two weeks in Cana-
da, the interpreter was shocked at
the improvement of her colour and
the roundness of her tummy."
For Valentina, the change has not
been as dramatic, as she appeared
to be one of the healthier children
of the 24 who arrived in Stratford
Sally.
While in Canada, the host fami-
lies have the option of taking the
children to visit a dentist.
"The children are very well
looked after, but because of poor
nutrition due to the unavailability
of fruits and vegetables, their teeth
are in bad condition," says Giena.
Travelling to Canada is also quite
the experience for these young chil-
dren, says Giena. Many have never
left their villages before and now
they are asked to leave their fami-
lies for almost two months and
travel by airplane, train and bus to a
another country.
"It must be very hard on the par-
ents as well; to let the children go
for so long."
Valentina has a brother who is
seven and a sister who is nine while
Olga has two brothers, two and
nine.
The 60,000 children who are sent
to other countries for a few weeks
are just a few of the more than two
to three million people living in the
contaminated area, she says. Of
those, 600,000 are children.
The people were given no guid-
ance by the government regarding
precautions which should be taken
with respect to drinking the water
and eating the food, says Sally.
They can just try to limit their
exposure.
For most, relocating out of the
area is not an option, adds Giena.
The region has been depressed
since the independence of Belarus
and there is no government support
for a move.
Private groups from around the
world raise approximately $1,000
per child, to offer them the oppor-
tunity to cleanse their systems.
Affiliated with the Stratford and
London groups, the Lawries and
Nonkes say funds are raised
through bake sales, house tours,
special activity nights and the sale
of T-shirts and sweat shirts.
Those involved are all volun-
teers, says Eric, and a lot of time is
put into supporting the children.
Assistance also comes from com-
munity groups.
"We have really enjoyed having
Valentina with our family. She has
fit in very well and the language
has not been a great barrier. We
point at things and use body lan-
guage," says Giena. "We also took
a few lessons in Russian to help a
little."
"These are just typical children
and they fit in well," adds Sally.
"It has been a good experience
for our children, Ashley, 10, and
Jessica, seven, as well. They have
learned to appreciate what they
have."
"Even our two-year-old Jacob
has learned some Russian," says
Giena.
The Nonkes also have an eight-
month-old, Micah.
For the two young girls from
Belarus, the close proximity of the
Lawries and Nonkes also provides
them with the opportunity to visit
regularly and communicate with
someone who speaks their language
and understands missing home.
Weekly gatherings are also held
with the other children of Cher-
nobyl, where they can play and
interact as well as meet with inter-
preters to see how things are going.
Anyone interested in becoming
involved in this project may contact
the Lawries, Linda MacKay, 519-
273-5343 or write to Families for
Children of Chernobyl, 13 Trow
Ave., Stratford, Ont. N4A 4L4.
on June 27, says Giena.
Though seven weeks will help
their immune system recover some-
what and enable it to fight off the
recurrent infections which plague
the Belarus city population, experts
recommend four months away from
the radiation, she says.
As well as a susceptibility to
viruses and bacteria, the incidence
of thyroid cancer has skyrocketed
to 85 or 90 cases compared to only
one or two prior to the accident,
says Giena.
When the children return, they
report fewer headaches, less nose-
bleeds and better concentration in
school.
The radiation in their blood drops
significantly over their stay, says