April 26, 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster

 

"Chernobyl 20th Anniversary: Honor the Past, Build the Future"

  

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006

 

The Eurasia Center and its Friendship Society of Washington DC

 

In cooperation with The Embassy of Belarus

 

Invite you to a special humanitarian event

 

In the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, a testing error caused an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine. During a radioactive fire that burned for 10 days, 190 tons of toxic materials were expelled into the atmosphere.  This was one hundred times more radiation that the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia received the brunt of the contamination.

Text Box: Chernobyl Reactor, 1986 The Chernobyl disaster is considered to be the largest technological disaster in the history of mankind. The picture was taken shortly after the accident, before the shroud was built over the blast area.

 

 

 

Because of variable weather conditions in the days following the accident, radiation spread over large parts of Scandinavia, Poland and the Baltic states, as well as southern Germany, Switzerland, northern France, and England.  Most of the contaminated territory lies within Belarus since some 70 per cent of the total fallout was deposited there. Of the total area of Belarus, 22 per cent was contaminated.  At the time of the accident, 2.2 million people lived in these areas, over one-fifth of the total population.

After the Chernobyl accident, almost 400,000 citizens were forced to leave their homes for their own safety – homes and villages that had been part of their families for generations. Over 2,000 towns and villages were bulldozed to the ground.  Hundreds more stand eerily silent even today.

 

Text Box: The extent of devastation can not be measured in purely economic terms.  Millions of memories of home, warm fires, hot tea, a mother’s sweet voice, and the laughter of children are lost forever.  

 

 

 

The United Nations Chernobyl Forum Report released in September 2005, made clear that 20 years after the Chernobyl accident, severe health, medical, social, psychological, and economic issues affect the lives of millions.  Several hundreds of thousands of individuals have been "directly and significantly" affected by the accident. Since the accident 20 years ago, government officials, policy makers, scientists, and medical professionals have disagreed about the extent to which radiation affects the human body. All agree, however, that Chernobyl affected regions face severe challenges that must be addressed at a number of levels in order to provide long-term relief.

 

With this situation as a backdrop, The Eurasia Center and its Friendship Society is cooperating with the Embassy of Belarus www.belarusembassy.org to have a special fundraising evening entitled "Chernobyl 20th Anniversary: Honor the Past, Build the Future". 

 

Text Box: Chernobyl Children's Project International funds and organizes three cardiac trips per year to Minsk.  Each mission saves 25-30 children while providing training for local physicians.  This child's life was saved on the October 2005 mission.   

 

 

 

His Excellency Mikhail Khvostov, Ambassador of Belarus, will speak about the long-term ecological, societal, and political costs of the accident.  Mr. Pavel Shidlovsky, Counselor of the Embassy, will review the economic devastation of the disaster, continuing recovery costs, and international Chernobyl cooperation. The evening will highlight the work of Chernobyl's Children's Project International, an organization that for 15 years has been on the front lines of providing humanitarian and developmental help to children, families, and communities impacted by the Chernobyl accident.

The Institute of Economics of the Belarusian National Academy of Sciences estimates that the country's economy will suffer losses of US$43.3 billion in the first 30 years after the accident. The total damage is projected to be US$235 billion over this period. This is 32 times the Belarus national budget for 1985. Chernobyl-related costs accounted for 22.3 percent of the country's national budget in 1991, and in 1996 it was still 10.9 percent. Such related costs are continuing today!

The Eurasia Center will donate 30 percent of proceeds from the evening to support the work of Chernobyl's Children's Project International [www.ccp-intl.org].

The Government of Belarus is holding International Conference on the Occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the Chernobyl Disaster.  The aim of the Conference is to analyze and summarize the longstanding experience of overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl accident, to elaborate long-term measures to rehabilitate the affected territories, and reinforce international cooperation. The Conference will be held in Minsk and Gomel, Belarus, from April 19 till 21, 2006. For additional information about the Conference, and to register visit Belarus Chernobyl Committee website (www.chernobyl.by/data/rus/news/enu20th).

Text Box: Anya is a typical disaster victim diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.  Her country was unable to provide treatment.  With little hope for survival the CCCPI  arranged for her course of treatment.  Today she remains in remission and is studying for a brighter tomorrow.  Will you help?  Register and make your pledge today!  

 

 

To register for the "Chernobyl 20th Anniversary: Honor the Past, Build the Future" on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006 at the Embassy of Belarus:

TO REGISTER AND FOR SPONSORSHIP OF THE EVENT 'CLICK':
"Chernobyl 20th Anniversary: Honor the Past, Build the Future” Registration/Pledge Form

 

 

Article written by Dr. Sam Hancock