Canadian Aid for Chernobyl has had many successful projects and initiatives during 2020. Life remains very difficult for our friends in Belarus, and we hope that one of the following initiatives for the upcoming year grabs your attention. If it does, we would love your help. Just click on the “Donate Now” button on the right side of the webpage to donate through CanadaHelps, or the PayPal donate button to use PayPal. In either case, you will get a Canadian tax receipt.

Thank you all for your past support and we look forward to posting updates as the year progresses.

Dave Shaw – Director of Humanitarian Aid and Orphan Initiatives

 Containers

Due to COVID, CAC is limiting our shipment to one transport container for this spring, providing the funds are raised. The container will consist of food and parcels for a targeted 700 families including seniors on small pensions, and impoverished families and families with disabled children. In addition, we hope to raise enough funds for hygiene products for impoverished families, orphans, abused / neglected children, disabled children and adults. Also, shoe boxes for seniors, gift boxes for orphans, handmade quilts, clothing and footwear.

$10,000 needed   (For overseas and inland shipping)

 Food Boxes

Canadian Aid for Chernobyl has launched our 19th annual food box drive; providing 50lbs of staple food products to seniors on minimal pensions, single mothers or families on social assistance, and families with children with disabilities. Last year, we hand-delivered 648 food boxes.

These boxes are genuinely appreciated and will be hand-delivered to those most in need in April when families’ preserves are depleted.

We have committed  to provide food to 648 families!

$28,500 needed

 Family Boxes

In addition to the food boxes, CAC delegates will deliver more than 300 humanitarian boxes from Canadian families to families living in the contaminated regions. In the past, families throughout Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes have sent parcels through CAC for safe distribution.

 Running Water

Many families living in homes in the rural areas of Chausy region do not have running water or indoor plumbing. Over the last four years, Canadian Aid for Chernobyl has helped 15 families improve their lives by connecting them to a water supply.  The impact is immediate and lasting. We are targeting 5 more deserving families to receive this life-changing gift in 2021.

$2,500 needed per well

 CAC Foster Home for Children

Many children continue to live in dangerous family or foster family situations, and living in an institutional orphanage environment is not an option.

CAC, in partnership with the Chausy Administration, is in the process of establishing a foster home in the Town of Chausy.  Local authorities have committed to providing the home and all operational expenses. CAC has committed to furnishing the home for up to 15 foster children.  The children would have the advantage of living in a loving family environment while attending regular public school and would have access to extracurricular activities.  CAC is very excited about this opportunity! Currently scheduled to open on March 15, 2021.

 This project has been supported by Ridgetown and Area Donations generated by Margaret Campbell.

$12,500 still needed

 Orphan Initiatives:

Child Rescue Program

Currently there are 99 children living at the Chausy Orphanage.  Of those, 26 are orphans, and the other children have been either invited or rescued from difficult situations by CAC thanks to generous donations from our supporters.  This is the first “foreign” agreement for sponsorship of children living in an orphanage in the history of Belarus!

Funds are still required for food, clothing, footwear and hygiene products for the children.

 $14,000 needed

 Post-Secondary Education

In 2003, CAC established a post-secondary education program that provides support for graduates of the Chausy Orphanage and as well as from impoverished families. Through the generosity of individuals and groups, Canadian Aid for Chernobyl allows these graduates to continue their education at the vulnerable age of 16 – 25. This school term, we have 21 students enrolled. We are pleased to have provided support to over 165 students!

 Chausy Orphanage – Musical Productions

CAC has been developing and supporting the Music Program in the Chausy Orphanage for more than 15 years. We expanded this program to include acoustic guitars, electric guitars, electric bass guitars, drum sets, tambourines, song books etc.  

This program continues to be popular with the children at the orphanage.

$950 needed

Chausy Orphanage – Agricultural Program

For decades the Chausy Orphanage operated with critical food shortages in late winter and early spring. In 2005, Canadian Aid for Chernobyl introduced the Agricultural Program. Through the support of our donors, we provided the machinery, equipment and seeds needed to harvest sufficient potatoes and various vegetables for the entire year. In fact, for the last six harvests, they have yielded a surplus and the children took their produce to market.
In 2010, we appealed to our supporters to help us expand this program and we built a state-of-the-art poultry barn and delivered it to the orphanage in April 2011. What a success! The hens are yielding 90 eggs a day, and we need to purchase the 7th round of 50 broilers!

Funds needed to support our agricultural program: providing feed for the layers and broilers, Purchase broiler chicks, crop fertilizer, fuel and machinery maintenance.

 $5,000 needed

 Chausy Orphanage – Yearbook

The goal of this initiative is to work with the students at the Chausy Orphanage School to improve their technical skills, celebrate the students’ successes and build their self-esteem. The last 9 years school yearbooks were a huge success. The students, school director and staff remain keen to continue producing keepsake yearbooks. 

$600 needed

Birthday/Graduation Party for Rescue Children

After the tremendous success over the past five years for our orphan and rescue children, we are pleased to have the fundraising underway to host this fun and exciting event again!  Corbin Evans, a student from Thousand Islands Secondary School, continues to raise the funds needed for this annual party.

 $2,000 raised

 Malcomson Home for Family Living

In September 2008, CAC initiated an agreement between the Department of Education, the Chausy Orphanage, and the Department of Humanitarian Aid to construct a house on the orphanage property. This “home” was completed in 2009 and provides the opportunity for orphaned and abused children to experience family life and develop skills in family structure and finance. They learn to purchase and prepare meals, care for a home, do their laundry and enjoy life as a family. The house sleeps 6 students and one supervisor. Until now, the graduating kids leave the orphanage with no family skills, no understanding of money management, no experience in food preparation or how to live in a healthy family environment.
CAC has received numerous letters from the children who enjoy the house and are deeply motivated to strive for a better future and have enjoyed a positive taste for family living. They are having a blast!!  Special thanks to the Malcomson Family.

General household maintenance and upgrades.

$2,500 needed 

 Initiatives for the Physically, Mentally, and Medically Challenged

Guardian Angel Program

The Guardian Angel Program is an ongoing program that deals with children and young adults in the Chausy Region of Belarus who have been labelled “Invalid” because of some physical/emotional/intellectual challenge.  This label has often had them treated as undesirables.  

Our main objective is to ease their situation in any way: helping caregivers by making their days in any way easier and they themselves feel more significant/valued/cared for, can often give some hope and sense of significance.  Clothing, food, transportation, ambulatory devices (wheelchairs, etc.) are just some of the things and services we try to provide for those who struggle.

At this time we have 142 families registered in this program

$8,500 needed

 Invalid Children Support

Canadian Aid for Chernobyl has once again partnered with the Rotary Club of Brockville and Rotary Club of 1000 Islands and families with disabled children: providing a medical fund of $5,000 to be used for medicines, medical supplies, surgery or improvement to quality of life.
There are 142 families with physically, mentally, or medically challenged children currently registered! Thank you Rotarians for making a tremendous difference in the lives of these children!

$5,000 Brockville Rotary Clubs 

Social Workshop for Children and Young Adults with disabilities

In 2014 CAC announced the grand opening of the areas first Social Workshop for children and young adults with physical and mental challenges. This is a wonderful opportunity to support our vision to integrate children with challenges into society. Our kids are busy making crafts, carving wood, sewing as well as selling their creations at local markets and fairs. CAC is responsible for the classroom expenses, heat and electricity. The city authorities are responsible for providing the psychologist. 

$1,500 needed

 Storage area

CAC has agreed to continue our financial support to the Organization of Invalid Children to allow them to operate their distribution of humanitarian aid from a small storage room. CAC pays the rent, electrical and minimal heat.

$1,400 needed

 Shoeboxes For Seniors

Many seniors living in the affected regions of rural Belarus are destitute and lacking in basic hygiene items.

The Shoeboxes for Seniors committee has been in full swing packing and receiving products, since early spring, for our delivery in April.  Over 700 boxes have been lovingly packed with essential items; toothbrushes, paste, soap, hand creams, small towels etc.  These boxes are hand delivered by Social Service and are overwhelmingly accepted.  Spearheaded by Mary Bernard.

300 Shoeboxes Packed – Completed

Quilts for Chernobyl

Once again, our quilters have been hard at work creating beautiful handmade quilts for our orphans and impoverished children. This April, we will once again have the pleasure of presenting more than 200 of these beautiful quilts … lots of excited and happy children.  What a wonderful gift for a child! 

Spearheaded by Mary Bernard.

Chausy Hospital Pediatric Diagnostic Ward: Completed 2020

On a more personal project, after the passing of Susan Shaw two years ago, in-memoriam donations came in at $32,000! Dave Shaw and his daughter Riley have decided to use the funds for renovations and new equipment at the Chausy hospital’s pediatric diagnostic ward. A plaque will remember Susan, one of CAC’s founding directors.  This project has been completed in partnership with the Chausy Authorities. 

We are so thankful to all who donated in Susan’s honour, this will be a beautiful memorial to Susan.

 Chausy Orphanage Hockey/Skating Rink: Completed 2020

The Malcomson family of Kanata give so much including hockey equipment and a hockey school for the children of the Chausy Orphanage. Last year they built a beautiful outdoor rink right on the orphanage property! With this winter’s cold weather, the children have had many opportunities to enjoy their hockey training and skating. It will also be a hub for the entire community, bringing everyone together in fun and recreation.

Malcomson Family Commitment