KarunaNews Story

The night of April 26, 1986, changed the lives of many people in Europe. While the residents of the Ukrainian town of Pripyat were sleeping, workers at the nearby Chornobyl [Ukraine has asked that we use the Ukrainian spelling, Chornobyl, rather than the Russian spelling, Chernobyl] Nuclear Power Plant attempted to carry out a safety test. The fourth reactor exploded, triggering history's most devastating nuclear accident; A huge radioactive cloud traveled across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the rest of Europe. Today, parts of Belarus still bear the brunt of the catastrophe. That is the impetus for a program called Séjour Santé Enfants Tchernobyl (SSET) that brings Belarusian children to Quebec, Canada, for the summer. The intention is to give them a healthy break from the polluted environment they grew up in, and where the effects of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster are still being felt. These summer visits are forging deep ties that bridge differences and bring healing. “It brings the whole world closer,” said Edith Harvey, one of the Canadian host parents.