What We Do

Rest & Recuperation

Rest & Recuperation in Ireland

Over the past 16 years, volunteer host families throughout Ireland have given over 15,000 children affected by the fallout of the Chernobyl explosion the opportunity of a holiday away from the debilitating environment in which they live. The success of the programme is due to the commitment and goodwill of all host families the length and breadth of Ireland by ensuring that these children, who touch them deeply with their beauty, love and friendship, are received into warm and loving home environments. Through the Summer and Christmas Rest & Recuperation programmes, over 1,000 children arrive into Ireland every year. As more and more volunteers open their homes to these children, this programme continues to go from strength to strength.

Further evidence of the recuperative benefits of this Programme is given by Dr Zolovkin, Director of the Children's Hospital in the Soligorsk Region in Belarus:

"For each child taken to Ireland they are "returned" two years of life. We are hostages to the hazardous aftermath of radiation, and the future of our very race is threatened with extinction, as our children, our gene pool, are seriously ill. In the midst of this tragedy we have been given hope by the people of Ireland."

CCPI also operates a Long-term Care Programme to ensure that seriously ill children can come to Ireland to seek expert medical care and attention.

The Barretstown Programme is another key programme targeted to assist up to 30 terminally-ill children per year to come to Ireland and spend a two-week holiday at the Barretstown Camp in Co. Kildare.

In-Country Rest & Recuperation

Due to a request from the Belarusian Government, CCPI is developing new In-Country Rest & Recuperation camps in Belarus for children are too ill, too institutionalised to travel, especially oncology cases or children with inoperable conditions. This summer alone the Project initiated two 'Camp Vesnova' camps.

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