Chernobyl girl’s ‘life-changing’ NI legacy

A Chernobyl girl who visited Northern Ireland as a child on a charity trip is interpreting for the next generation after her being inspired to train as an English teacher.

Belarusian Zoya Kurnosova, 19, travelled to the Province as a 7-year-old as part of the Chernobyl Children’s Appeal NI Ltd initiative.

This year, the organisation’s Larne group welcomed four children to stay with host families for three weeks, in order to provide temporary escape from the high radiation levels in their home country following the 1986 nuclear disaster.

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The break reduces radiation levels in the youngsters’ bodies, which could make them less likely to suffer from radiation-related cancers and illnesses.

Zoya is now training to be an English teacher at Mozyr State Pedagogical University and has fulfilled her dream of returning to Northern Ireland as a translator with the next generation of Chernobyl children. She told The Times: “Coming to Northern Ireland changed my life and inspired me to learn English.

“There are a lot of benefits for children coming here-fresh air and food, seeing how another community and culture works. They love the beaches and parks as we don’t have a sea. Here they want to swim in the sea as back home it’s too dangerous-it’s dirty and there’s too much radiation.”

Carrickfergus man John McDermott and his wife Agnes are the Co-ordinators of the scheme’s Larne group, one of the oldest in the Province. This year he and his wife are hosting eight-year-old Dasha Poliakova. John said: “In layman’s terms we are told that these trips can add three to four years to a child’s life, particularly for girls who are at a higher risk of suffering thyroid, glandular and gynaecological cancers. The land, air, water, livestock-everything is contaminated.

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“We take the children to the zoo, bowling, cinemas, parks, days out at Portrush. We have to be careful not to give them anything too strenuous as they tire more easily.”

Agnes added: “The children are very good. It is hard to see them go at the end of three weeks, but every year we get a new child to help.”

Mayor of Larne Martin Wilson added: “The local people who are involved in this have shown the typical generosity of spirit Larne people have. These children are coming from a very disadvantaged background and to get respite away from their everyday lives in Chernobyl is of great benefit to them. I hope and pray it will stay with them for the rest of their lives, and they will return to Larne and Northern Ireland in the future.”

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