As the ghost of Chornobyl lingers over Belarus, Quebec families offer kids a healthy home
CBC
When Belarusian-born Sveta Kipatkova first heard about a Quebec program that could reduce her daughter's exposure to radiation, she jumped at the opportunity.
Every summer, from the end of June until mid-August, Séjour Santé Enfants Tchernobyl (SSET) brings Belarusian children to the province 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.
According to the volunteer organization, in some regions of Belarus, the rate of thyroid cancer is 125 cases per million children, compared to an average of one to two cases per million children worldwide.
Kipatkova says her mother, uncle and aunt all have or have had cancer.
It is one of the many reasons why she chose to send her daughter, Aksenia, to stay with Edith Harvey and her family.
"I'm happy because I can't give my daughter such a nice holidays," said Kipatkova, who sent Aksenia from her small hometown of Chausy to Quebec for the second summer in a row.
Here, Aksenia can breathe clean air, eat uncontaminated food and drink clean water.
The night of April 26, 1986, changed that for many people in Europe.
While the 50,000 residents of the Ukrainian town of Pripyat were sleeping, workers at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant attempted to carry out a safety test.
But the fourth reactor exploded, triggering history's most devastating nuclear accident.
A huge radioactive cloud travelled across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the rest of Europe.
Today, parts of Belarus still bear the brunt of the catastrophe.
The summer getaway in Quebec aims to improve the children's physical condition. From the plane ticket to food and insurance, host families pay for the whole stay.
"I asked her if she wants to return home. Maybe she's bored, maybe she misses [us]. She said no," said Kipatkova, laughing, adding that she's grateful to the host family.
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