House of Hope dedicated to memory of fundraiser

Volunteers from Trim travelled to Belarus recently for the opening of the Trim House of Hope that will be home to nine orphans and their foster parents, thanks to the funds raised by a local group. The home in Belarus is dedicated to the memory of Ann Carolan from Trim, a tireless campaigner with the Chernobyl Children’s International Charity, but who sadly passed away before she got to see the home open. Ann’s husband, Tom, and her daughter, Regina, as well as Geraldine McGarry from Trim travelled to Belarus for the opening of the home, which was made possible thanks to the €50,000 raised in Trim. Liz O’Donnell, former Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, and board director, Chernobyl Children International (CCI), as well as Adi Roche, CEO of CCI, also visited Belarus for the opening of three new 'Homes of Hope’ last week. CCI is pioneering a de-institutionalisation programme in Belarus and is the leading organisation to develop this extraordinary project to change lives and give many orphaned or abandoned children a way out of institutions. CCI has purchased 24 Homes of Hope to date - this is the equivalent of shutting down of two orphanages in Belarus alone. Overall, the concept of 'Homes of Hope’ results in breaking the cycle of abandonment and deinstitutionalising the children. Through the programme, every child will go on to achieve their fullest potential in the safety and security of their own home. It was a poignant occasion for the Carolans to see the home that Mrs Carolan had dreamed of finally open. Her daughter Regina said they had mixed emotions. “We reached the €50,000 fundraising target shortly after my mother passed away so she never got to see the home open or the fruits of her labour. She longed to see the children in the house. Adi Roche said some beautiful words. Mum would have been so proud of all the people in the area who donated towards the opening of the house,” she said. Ms Carolan said it was lovely to see her father handing over the keys of the house to the foster mother and father on behalf of her mother. She said: “It was amazing to see the smile on the children’s faces and to know we are offering hope and a brighter children to these children and the chance to live in a house and have a stable background. There was such excitement in the children’s eyes as they ran into their house for the first time and got to see their bedrooms.” This was Regina Carolan’s second trip to Belarus, having been there five years ago. She said it was “amazing” to see the amount work Chernobyl’s Children International had done in the last five years and the difference it had made. Speaking at the opening of the house, Adi Roche said: “In the run up to the 25th Anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster next year, we take this special opportunity to remember the children of Chernobyl. We are so proud to open a record number of homes in one week - three new homes mean that over 30 more children have at last homes that they can call their own. This is an extraordinary achievement and I cannot thank our volunteers enough for making a dream come through for the children who can now call home their own.”