ON THE DANCE FLOOR FOR THE CHILDREN OF KOZHAN

NORTH KERRY GEARING UP TO WELCOME CHILDREN FROM BELARUSIAN REGION BADLY HIT BY CHERNOBYL DISASTER

FOR the children of the impoverished Belarusian region of Kozhan, tales of North Kerry awaken indescribable excitement.

A tick over 30 years ago, the nearby city of Chernobyl was the epicenter of one of history’s worst nuclear disasters, and the fallout devastated Kozhan. To this day, the region staggers under economic and health-related strains forced upon it by the events of an April morning in 1986.

Distraught at the damage caused by the Chernobyl disaster, Chernobyl Children’s Fund Tralee and District Limited (CHY 12117) was one of many charities formed with the intention of tending to wounds on Europe’s eastern edge.

Since the early 1990s, the group has gathered funds for education and healthcare in Kozhan, and is perhaps best known for bringing children from the impoverished village to North Kerry each summer to enjoy activities they can’t access in their homeland.

Bridie Courtney tells The Kerryman she had always admired the charity’s goals, and a few years back she decided to get involved herself.

“If I tried to name everyone who has helped out or participated in any way since the group started out in the 1990s, I’d be taking on the impossible,” she says. “I only got involved about six or seven years ago, and so many people had been involved up to that point. Countless more have helped since, and if I tried to tell you all their names I’d surely forget a few by accident — but they know who they are, and they know how much everyone appreciates their work. I’m just one small cog in the wheel!”

Her enthusiasm at being a part of the group is tangible, and she beams excitement at the mention of this coming summer’s events.

Since its inception, Chernobyl Children’s Fund Tralee and District has brought well over 1,000 children, mostly aged between eight and 12, to North Kerry to enjoy activities like Fungi trips, swim sessions at the Aquadome, and visits to local pet farms. In 2017, the region will welcome a further 18 Belarusian children for a month rich in happiness, a commodity the youngsters rarely unearth at home in Kozhan.

“This year’s visitors will be over from July 3, and as usual we’ll hold a meet-and-greet for them at Saint Brendan’s Pastoral Centre in Tralee when they get here,” she says.

“While they’re here, their health receives a much-needed boost; you wouldn’t believe what even one walk on Banna Strand can do for them!

“The kids will enjoy a fun-filled month. Over the years, children from Kozhan have had lovely days out with many clubs and organisations in Kerry, and during their stay, their host families provide them with comfort they just can’t have at home.”

Organising the month’s events is a testing task; flights alone are costly, but that’s just one of many demands that must be factored in. Fundraising is, therefore, crucial to the fund, and they collect through events like table quizzes and bake sales.

Among their best-known fundraising initiatives are the social dancing evenings that take place every Wednesday night between 9pm and 11.30pm in the function room at the Grand Hotel. Bridie describes the attendees of the social dancing sessions as ‘hugely supportive’ of the charity’s goals, and she extols the virtues the dances offer beyond fundraising.

“You get a lovely night for your €8 admission fee. Numbers vary from week to week, but with a central location and excellent live acts, the dances have proven very successful,” she says.

“You get a wide variety of music and dancing styles, from waltz to foxtrot to jive, or anything really! It stands out not just as a fund-raiser, but also a way of combating rural isolation, because we get people in from all over to join in – and we’ll always welcome new participants!”

Bridie says the charity’s primary concern at this moment is to collect warm clothes for the children for their return to Belarus. Temperatures in Kozhan can plummet as far as minus 30 degrees during winter, and snug clothing is a vital tool during the bitter conditions.

“If you can donate any warm clothes, that would be great, because the children will certainly need them when they get back to Belarus,” Bridie says.

“We’ll also accept toys or suitable accessories to serve as a memento of their time in Kerry!”

If you want to get involved with the Chernobyl Children’s Fund Tralee and District, you can get in touch at (087) 929 8558.

Children from Kozhan on a visit to Ballybunion