Belarus Trust – Shoe Box Appeal 2010

The Lions Clubs of District 105SE 2010 Shoebox Appeal in partnership with the Belarus Trust

Support for the families and children of Belarus affected by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station Disaster 24 years ago.

The Gomel Region of Belarus which is in the far South East Corner of the country bordering the Ukraine is only 100km from Chernobyl. The radioactive cloud formed by the explosion 24 years ago drifted over Belarus and in particular the Gomel Region and was encouraged to deposit its contents of radioactive dust there rather than drift further north and east towards Moscow and further afield. As a result the land became heavily irradiated and impossible to live on and everyone was forced to leave their homes.

Many 1000's of families and complete communities were driven off their land where they lived a very basic rural life for generations and brought to live in the outskirts of the city of Gomel and other cities throughout Belarus without work and without the ability to cope with Urban life. A totally alien existence which some embraced but many were driven to despair and many became very ill. Vodka is very cheap and easy to drown your desperation with.

Twenty four years on the Children we now support were born into these families in the City and its suburbs. Their parents have illnesses related to the Chernobyl fallout as do many of the children and so the Orphanages and Schools which we support specialise in looking after those children with many challenging conditions such as sight problems, learning difficulties, blood disorders, leukemia, thyroid problems etc. etc

Can I say a BIG THANK YOU to everybody who has helped this year in anyway; with supplying shoe boxes, clothes, computers, toys and games, books of all types, stationary, toiletries, and assistance. This year we had some 25 helpers loading the lorry. I’m not going to highlight anybody or club in particular but anybody or group as in a well known Television Show “Are You Being Served” young Mr Grace would say “YOU’VE ALL DONE VERY WELL” that is my sentiment and I’m sure Chris would say the same. “We Serve” is well meant on this occasion.

It’s amazing where all the goods come from every year. The only thing I ask of you all is to go back to your clubs and your supporters and say “THANK YOU”. This comes from the children and families in Gomel that you through your hard work have helped AGAIN. Please continue with this help.

In 2009 everybody surpassed our expectations not just with supporting the Shoe Box Appeal but with helping the orphanage that would have closed for the need of new fire doors. You did it. Babichi orphanage roof another success the builder has started and only stopped because of the winter and should be finished in the spring, weather permitting. A wish for a computer suite for the handicapped because the handicapped in Belarus are neglected as being of no importance and are not supported with state aid. You did it, in supplying the high specification computers and the printers etc to make this dream come true.

Typically Orphanages in Gomel Region each cater for about 150 to 200 children who live and learn there 7 days a week from the age of 4 to 16 or 18 depending on the establishment. These Orphans are both genuine orphans as we understand the term (life expectancy is very low) or social orphans created by the fact that their parents are incapable for many reasons of looking after them.

This year’s shoebox appeal will touch many hundreds of children and families through the Chernobyl Children’s Charity a Gomel based Charity set up by the State to help these children. Members of Gomel Lions Club work closely with the Charity. The Charity accepts delivery of our Lorry load of shoeboxes and parcels bulk goods and distributes it over a period of a couple of months.

This year the load includes about 526 personally addressed cases of goods and shoeboxes to about 200 individual addresses which are based in Schools, Orphanages, Kindergartens (2 of them still operating in the contaminated zone), Large destitute family groups, Single Parent family groups and School 27 where we have already set up a Lions Centre of Excellence for Children’s Eye Disorders.

When the lorry left the warehouse on September 16th last year, the load was a total of 11,564Kg (11.5 tonnes); a total of 1000 boxes and items with a calculated (S/H goods) value in the order of £20,020 and completely filling the 46 ft curtain sided trailer. True new value is in the order of over £100,000 I would estimate. This is the biggest and heaviest load we have sent so far.

It included 34 S/H checked and refurbished Computers and laptops plus computer spares, scanners and printers. Toiletries, Toys, Clothing, Paper, Books, Stationery, Bicycles, Hand Tools, 16 sewing machines, 6 knitting machines and a miscellany of other items of everyday life.

There were several specific requests this year which seemed a little difficult to achieve but we did it. Musical instruments for a proposed music centre supported by the Heritage of Chernobyl Charity; we have shipped two completed refurbished electric organs. A lawn mower for one of the orphanages, we had three. Gomel Lions requested 3 high specification computers for a special centre for disabled young people in Gomel. We supplied these, the laser printer and the chairs. All its needs are the work stations. In Belarus there is no state aid for disabled people therefore disadvantaged.

The organisers of this annual event now in its tenth year are delighted at the continued success and thank everyone who plays any part in its operation from packers, sorters and lorry loaders, children and schools who donate shoeboxes, Clubs who purchase goods to make up both bulk supplies and shoeboxes, those clubs and individuals who donate both time, expertise (in the case of the computers) and money to the project and last but not least the Gateway Project, Rusheden Road Queenborough, Sheppey, in Kent who have donated a massive area of their premises and the use of their Fork Lift Truck and a driver for loading day and generally could not have been more helpful. Unfortunately there is a cloud over the present warehouse in so much as they are trying to expand their own operations within the site, which might mean we will need a NEW HOME. So could you as well as filling shoe boxes etc. look out for another site with a rent of zero; with a forklift and driver would be nice but not a requirement.

We will be repeating this operation in 2010 learning once again from the problems of 2009. We believed we had it all covered after previous years problem with indentifying the contents of tins of food but no customs do not like the category Miscellaneous even though every item had a description on its label. This appeared to be universal across Europe. It caused some delay but must of the load was distributed by Christmas.

Monetary Donations to the LIONS BELARUS TRUST DISTRICT 105SE. The registered charity number is 1112811 would assist in the transportation of the goods and also the work of the trust can do in the Gomel region.

There is still one important project to be completed the Babichi Orphanage Roof. You have been most generous with the Shoe Box Appeal and we hope that this will stretch a little further to help the children in Babichi Orphanage.

I am standing down as the Warehouse Manager this year but will continue to support the project with packing/loading and anything else that will help this worthwhile project along. Thank you for your support to the project and to me for helping out when requested and making it all possible.

Thank you for your continued support

Yours in Lionism

Mike and Chris

Cc Lion Howard Lee – Chairman Belarus Trust

Click here to download the Word document appeal letter, with lists of items needed.