Roscommon Rose Deirdre Cribbin was part of a group of 25 Roses and two Escorts which travelled to Chernobyl with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International for five days recently.
Describing the trip as “a fantastic experience”, Deirdre said the group travelled on St. Valentine’s Day.
“We were based in Vesnova Children’s Asylum, which caters for the physical and intellectual needs of 174 children. The village of Vesnova is located approximately 175km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
“I was amazed by the beauty of the building itself, which has improved greatly since Adi Roche founded it. This is all thanks to teams of voluntary Irish tradesmen and Irish donations over the last number of years,” she said.
The Castleplunkett native added that she found it difficult to put the emotional experience into words.
“It was emotional, but extremely rewarding. The children of Vesnova have suffered greatly because of Chernobyl, but they are so full of love and hope. They welcomed us with open arms and taught us to appreciate the little things in life”.
Deirdre and the other Roses also got the opportunity to meet charity founder, Adi Roche.
“She spoke from the heart about each child, and she is a real inspiration to us all. Adi has taught us the true meaning of humanitarianism”.
Deirdre once again thanked the people of Roscommon.
“None of this would have been possible for me without the support of the people of Roscommon, particularly my local village of Castleplunkett. I am delighted to say that €2,700 was raised in the county for Chernobyl Children International, and I am so grateful to everyone who donated to this worthy cause,” she concluded.
