Associazione Kupalinka - ODV

The project The Kupalinka Association of Brugherio is a non-profit voluntary association of social utility. All the association's initiatives are aimed at children living in the areas of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, are based on volunteering and on the concept of solidarity. The aim of the association is to organize temporary hospitality, in our area, of Belarusian children at risk. The children will be preferably hosted in June, for a period of at least 30 days, with indicative start of the stay in the first week of the month. The possibility of hosting at other times of the year is not excluded. Our commitment is motivated by scientific data, relating to the d... read more The project The Kupalinka Association of Brugherio is a non-profit voluntary association of social utility. All the association's initiatives are aimed at children living in the areas of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, are based on volunteering and on the concept of solidarity. The aim of the association is to organize temporary hospitality, in our area, of Belarusian children at risk. The children will be preferably hosted in June, for a period of at least 30 days, with indicative start of the stay in the first week of the month. The possibility of hosting at other times of the year is not excluded. Our commitment is motivated by scientific data, relating to the drop in the levels of internal contamination of the children's body, following a stay in a non-contaminated place. Due to the speed of cell growth and the lowering of the immune defenses, children are the most affected by the effects of radiation. Contamination occurs through the consumption of locally produced food, often the only one to which children have access. An ENEA (National Agency for Energy Efficiency) research from the beginning of the millennium and, more recently, the analyzes carried out by the technicians of ARPA (Regional Agency for Prevention and the Environment) Emilia Romagna, have shown that, after a stay of at least 30 days in Italy, children lose from 30 to over 50% of the absorbed cesium 137 (radionuclide most present in their organisms). We have chosen to take care of children because they are identified as the first subjects at risk for the damage caused by radioactive isotopes. The causal connection between the leakage of radioactivity from the plant and the exponential increase in tumor pathology in the infantile segment of the population has been proven. Due to the speed of cellular metabolism, children are more sensitive to interventions that favor the reduction of contamination levels. In the case of budget availability, the possibility of sending humanitarian aid to the contaminated areas is part of our objectives, in particular the aid will be directed to the health structures or schools in the areas of origin of the hosted children. Our purposes also include actions aimed at raising public awareness of the risks deriving from the use of nuclear power. In Eastern Europe 11 plants of the same Chernobyl model are still active, technically obsolete and severely flawed in security systems, this represents a serious danger for local populations and for all of Europe. The hosting Hosting groups of children, residing in contaminated areas, has the essential purpose of providing them with the opportunity to obtain a significant drop in the levels of radioactivity inside the body. Staying in Italy also allows, through a balanced and nutritious diet, to increase the immune defenses of their organism (useful for tackling common diseases). During their stay it will be necessary to pay attention to the diet which must be balanced, nutritious, genuine, rich in fruits and vegetables as well as proteins of vegetable and animal origin, avoiding canned foods and additives. Finally, the possibility of carrying out medical checks allows you to check the real state of health of children who, in addition to the serious effects of contamination, often suffer a situation of great social unease and suffer from diseases related to their living conditions. Belarusian children are hosted in our country because it is not possible, by implementing the "rehabilitation" in their countries, to obtain the same effective results deriving from a month's stay in uncontaminated places. Participation in the project implies the willingness, of anyone participating, to be involved in a collective experience, to be part of a group, to open up to the participatory experience of welcoming a group of children with different traditions and culture. Hosted children can have a history of poverty, socio-family distress, diseases that are related to their living conditions that must be understood and respected, but which unfortunately we cannot intervene in, if not in a very marginal way, in the context of the month of hospitality. The help we provide to them should be limited to simple and selfless hospitality, in the awareness that the stay has an end and that the children will return to their families and their country. Therefore this initiative is not a form of custody, nor of adoption of individual minors, but is an experience of collective solidarity. Medical visits and examinations will also be included within the program. The children The selection of the group of children, who live in the family, takes place by grouping subjects from homogeneous areas, the choice will be made in the poorest areas, those who have the least opportunity and opportunity to send their children to heal. It is our intention to pursue the objective of giving all children in need to take advantage of a stay in Italy, therefore those children who have never benefited from a stay abroad will be chosen as a priority. A child can be hosted by our association up to two times. Those children who, after visits and examinations, will be judged by doctors as particularly needy for their health, for problems or pathologies related to nuclear contamination or social unease, may return several times, even consecutively.