Get Involved
​

Each year Friends of Chernobyl’s Children is able to help more and more children from desperate social backgrounds in Belarus. Every child we are able to help returns to Belarus with improved health, educational prospects and with greater confidence to face the challenges in their lives. Just the knowledge that they are loved and cared for by their UK host family can make a huge difference to their lives. There are many ways that you can help us.

Establish a new group
​If you live in an area away from our current groups, why not consider starting your own local group? No previous experience of being a host or involvement with an existing group is necessary since we have a well-established process offering plenty of support from our governing body to help new groups get up and running.
If you would like to find out more about starting a new group, please contact Mike Cowan who will be delighted to tell you more about what’s involved and to support you through the process.

Our 2 latest groups - Moray

The September West Lothian Group

Become a Host Family
By having a child to stay in your home for a month, where they can eat nourishing food, get access to essential healthcare and simply breathe clean air, you can give the children of Belarus hope for a better future.

You will have the full support of the charity and the interpreters before and during the stay. It may seem daunting to welcome an unknown child into your home for a month, but think how daunted a small seven-year-old child feels in a strange country for the first time, and think how desperate their family must be to have agreed to let them come to another country for respite at such a young age. You can help to change that child’s life, improve their health and give them a second chance for a happy childhood and future.
​
To enquire about becoming a host family please get in touch with one of our local group co-ordinators or our charity director.
All host families are vetted prior to acceptance and will have the full support and guidance from the charity throughout the visits.

Help with visits
If you are not able to host a child, there are still lots of ways that you can help with the visit - arranging activities, seeking provisions, hosting an interpreter, and helping out on activity days are just a few. Please contact your local group co-ordinator for more details.

Fundraise
In order to continue with our work we continually need to raise money. The airfares and visa costs for the children and interpreters are rising each year and it costs hundreds of pounds to bring each child to the UK. As a small independent charity we can guarantee that all funds are used for the stated purposes; none of our families or helpers are paid, all give freely of their time and talents. The volunteer families who offer their homes for one month do so without any recompense. If you are able to get involved with your local group in a fundraising capacity then please contact us. Alternatively, we are always keen to discuss ways of raising funds at a national level and would be delighted to hear your ideas.

Sponsorship
Friends of Chernobyl’s Children is always keen to connect with the local community and businesses. Business sponsorship is a brilliant way to achieve this with benefits to all parties. Please contact your local group coordinator for further details or contact Mike Cowan for national sponsorship.

Donate

Every donation counts. If you are able to donate some money to help our children, then please do so. All donations are greatly appreciated and go directly to helping the children.