We are now into the fourth year of this project and we are seeing enormous differences in the families taking part.
Many families who were struggling to feed and clothe their children and to cope emotionally, show huge signs of improved health and self-esteem, FOCC is there to help, suddenly there are enough clothes to keep warm with, vitamins for all the children, seeds to grow food for the winter and life is better.
Seven-year-old Galya will be making her first visit to Helpston, staying with the Henthorn’s who have agreed to be her host family
Now it is time to wave the FOCC wand for yet more children.
This year we have three new children joining the project, An eight-year-old boy, who lives with his mum in a single room in a city hostel. They share one shower, one cooker and one sink with eight other families, on the sixth floor. This little boy, who loves to play football and run around, is like a caged lion. He is to go to one of our new host families, with a big garden – fresh air and exercise for this small boy! Seven year old girl, Galya is to stay with our editor’s family. She lives with her parents, and three little brothers.Their home is terrible – no indoor toilet or running water, every drop of water has to be drawn from the well and a home which is no better than a garden shed. Her mum does her absolute best to cope, but it is difficult. She is just so grateful not to be on her own anymore, now she has the help and support of the charity.
Our final new child is ten-year-old Anya. Anya has spent many months in the orphanage but has now returned to the dubious care of her granny. I have visited Anya regularly over the last few years and the two of us are friends. For me it has been a painful journey, in fact I feel emotional writing about it. She is a lovely, bright, enthusiastic child, who works hard at school. Twice I have invited her to England and twice she has been unable to come. Last October, Alison Henthorn and I visited Anya in the orphanage. She climbed on to my lap and put her head on my shoulder as if she never wanted to get up, however, when the matron arrived she quickly lifted her head. Anya doesn’t like the orphanage and was often hungry, indeed she is horribly underweight. She finally came to England to spend Christmas with my family, arriving at Gatwick looking all too like Orphan Annie. For the two weeks of her visit Anya proceeded to eat everything, to play with the dogs, accompany Neil on every walk, and go to the swimming pool – she never stopped smiling. After two weeks she was looking forward to seeing her granny again. She returned with a huge suitcase stuffed with arts and crafts sets and warm clothing, dried fruit and nuts, chocolate (well, it was Christmas), lentils, pasta, soap, shampoo, school shoes etc. Now, she and I, wait hopefully for her arrival in June.
This winter ten-year-old Marina has had a family crisis, resulting in there simply not being enough for her to eat - something unknown to most British children. I was very worried about this little girl when we last saw her; she had lost weight and looked gaunt. Thankfully Yuliya, one of our interpreters, has been visiting her regularly throughout the winter, taking her foodstuffs. Soon Marina will be back in Helpston for some fun and a chance to improve her health and, no doubt, her host mum will once more be cramming her suitcase with dried food when she returns home.
Of course, all this costs money so fund-raising must continue. The young members of FOCC and their friends and relatives are taking part in sponsored events.
If you would like to sponsor them, just get in touch or use the Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.co.uk/FOCC-helpstonanddistrict, the Chernobyl Children will be very grateful for your support.
Sometimes the responsibility for these children, so far away, feels heavy on our shoulders. Without our support many of these families would flounder, or in Marina’s case, simply starve. Thankfully there is support from many people in our community, people who help wave the FOCC wand, helping these children to gain in health following the terrible nuclear disaster of 1986. People who help make life worth living again.
Without our host families and sponsors, none of this could happen. Would you like to join the FOCC family? I do hope so! Please contact me on 01733 252118 / 07779 264591/ focc_helpston@msn.com
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