Tough but rewarding gig ahead for Roses as they go to Belarus to help orphans and abandoned children

ROSE of Tralee 2016 Maggie McEldowney and Kerry Rose Danielle O’Sullivan are among the 20-strong group of volunteers from the Festival shortly jetting off to Belarus to undertake vital work with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International.

The Rose party is travelling to a remote part of the country that was affected by the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 to help care for over 170 children who are residents of the Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum.

Maggie, Danielle and their fellow Roses will be part of a group that includes nurses, care workers and teachers all travelling out to work with children ranging in age from 4 to 18 years. Most of the residents have lost their parents, with others abandoned by families no longer able or willing to care for their challenging needs. All suffer from severe illnesses and disabilities and require a high level of medical and nursing care.

One of the few consolations in their lives is the fact they reside in a facility supported by the charity since an Irish aid convoy discovered it while taking aid to victims of the disaster in the 1990s.

“We will never cease to be inspired by the generosity and kindness of ‘Rose Ambassadors’ who reach out and touch the hearts of the forgotten children in the Chernobyl regions,” Adi Roche said this week, adding:

“These Roses and Escorts are such a highly skilled group, and we are very lucky to have them visit the children to help them grow and develop in an as safe and healthy environment as possible.”

The trip marks the sixth year of a partnership between the Chernobyl Children International charity and the Festival of Kerry.

Rose of Tralee Maggie McEldowney with fellow Roses who are going out to work as volunteers in Belarus with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International charity shortly - Kerry Rose Danielle O’Sullivan will also be travelling with the group.