Wessex Chernobyl Children’s  Lifeline’s  gift to make a better classroom

When we heard about the poor state of the classroom where Marina Lisovskaya teaches English to her students we decided that help was needed.  Marina lives in Korosten in The Ukraine.  The town is just 12 miles from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and continues to be affected by the toxic pollutants as a result of the disaster in April 1986.  She has been working with Wessex CCLL to bring children to the Poole area for four weeks of recuperative care for two years.

Marina is a well-respected teacher  of English at a secondary school in Korosten and it was while she was accompanying a group of 16 ten and eleven year olds as their interpreter in July 2013 that a chance conversation led to the project to improve the classroom and help the students with their English lessons.

We know only too well how much children benefit from a well-resourced classroom.  John, Chair of Wessex CCLL,  was a local teacher of I.T. before he retired.  Marina told him that she had only six old English dictionaries and a few old text books in her classroom.  During August 2013 she had to organise parents to help paint and decorate and mend the leaking windows.  Earlier in the year Wessex CCLL had benefitted from a bequest from Nicky Shone who had herself been a teacher of French at a local Middle School.   The committee decided that it would be very fitting to use £1,000 of the bequest to help the school in Korosten because the plight of Chernobyl children had been very close to Nicky’s heart.

The donation was made at the end of August this year.  It has enabled Marina to purchase a whiteboard and projector,  text books, dictionaries and storage furniture.  Marina writes; “I am very happy to let you know that my classroom is now the best at my school and one of the best in the rest of the schools here.  Many teachers come to envy me and my students. Thank you so much.”

Wessex CCLL is now actively fundraising in order to bring another group of children to the Poole area in July 2015.  This  four weeks of care is very important for the health of the children because away from the raised levels of background radioactive toxins their vital organs become healthier and their immune systems stronger.  If you would like to find out about hosting  a Chernobyl child email John Martindale at jsmartindale@virginmedia.com who will pleased to have an informal chat about the work of Wessex CCLL.

Marina's classroom in Korosten, Ukraine

New books!

... and storage units

Reg. charity 1014274