Our Program
Summer Program
Each summer, the Belarussian Children's Mission at St. Stephens brings
children from Belarus to America. These children are all affected by
the radiation, either directly or indirectly. Some are orphans, some
from small, highly contaminated villages, some with known medical
conditions , while most come with suppressed immune systems. The
children, while in Hickory, receive medical, dental and eye care as
well as a loving, caring home environment. Many local doctors and
hospitals have been absolutely wonderful in providing medical attention
to "our children" as have many dentists, optometrists and specialists
in our community.
History of ABRO
Belarus, a small country which was part of the former Soviet Union received approximately 70% of the radiation damage from the April 26, 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant incident. The southern third received the most radiation in Belarus. The explosion released 90 times as much radiation as the Hiroshima Bomb. This has effected the health of the people especially the children due to its effect on the immune system. This has resulted in thyroid disease and thyroid cancer, an increase of leukemia and birth defects, and vitamin deficiencies.
In 1991, members of the Connecticut River Valley Fellowship, a Baptist Church in South Windsor, Connecticut, welcomed 13 children and two adults from the Mogilev region of Belarus. They housed the children for a period of six weeks, giving their bodies a rest from the physical and emotional stress of living in a contaminated environment. If the children are removed from the area for that approximate period of time, the level of radiation in their bodies is lowered.
From this experience, there was a desire on the part of Americans involved with this project to see conditions in the contaminated zone of Belarus. In January 1993, they met with concerned business, political and religious leaders in the Mogilev region. Out of those meetings, ABRO was born as a unique partnership between concerned peoples of both Belarus and the United States.
Since 1991, over 3,100 children from Belarus have made the trip to the United States for rest and medical evaluation through the efforts of ABRO. Another 400 children have benefited from the summer camps held in the uncontaminated region of Belarus.
This summer Abro had 540 children ranging in age from 7 to 16 years old from Belarus in America. They were in 11 states and we had a total of 37 groups. A group has as few as 5 children and as many as 40 children. Each group had a chaperone/interpreter that accompany them from Belarus.
