FERMANAGH Rose Julie-Ann McCaffrey may soon be relinquishing her crown, but one of her final acts in representing the county was one of her most memorable.
Julie-Ann was part of a group who recently travelled to Belarus to help those affected by the Chernobyl disaster 28 years ago.
On February 22 Julie-Ann and fellow Roses, escorts and Adi Roche from Chernobyl Children International travelled to the Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum in Belarus.
It is estimated that about 60% of the radiation fallout landed in Belarus and it is predicted that 80% of people in Belarus will be affected by the disaster for infinite decades to come.
“The asylum and the village of Vesnova is located three hours from Minsk airport,” explained Julie-Ann. “It cannot be found on Google maps, and without Chernobyl Children International, nobody would know that it exists.
“The asylum was found by Adi Roche, accidentally, after she stopped there, lost in the middle of the night to ask for directions. What met her at the asylum was the smell of death and decomposing bodies, which she says she can still smell every time she opens the door to what is now deemed a high standard asylum in Belarus, due to her years of persistence and dedication.”
While in the asylum, Julie-Ann helped care for over 170 children with a variety of physical and mental disabilities, a truly eye-opening experience.
“Many of the children are born with severe deformities, unlike anything I have ever seen before.
However, whilst it was difficult to see children in pain due to physical deformities, the toughest part was seeing how badly treated the children are in the asylum.
The standard of care of the Belarusian nurses employed by the asylum was difficult to watch. Children are often fed lying down, left lying in dirty nappies for hours and are terrified of human touch due to rough treatment.
“On one of the first days, I fed a beautiful little blind girl called Yana, who was sitting rocking in a pram with her arms restrained in a straitjacket. Although we had been told that a number of the children self-harm so need to be restrained, Yana is restrained for no apparent reason. I released Yana’s arms from the straitjacket and was greeted with an almost immediate smile.
“I brought Yana to the ball pool in the sensory room and it was heart-warming to hear and see her sing, laugh and play, however it is upsetting to think that she will be back now in her straitjacket sitting in her pram in the asylum.
Now home after her time in Belarus Julie Ann has a renewed appreciation for her life.
“It has been difficult to get the images of the children out of my head. It is hard to put into words the sights and scents of the asylum. However, while I feel deeply moved and somewhat angry at the injustices in Vesnova, I also am also extremely appreciative of my life. The trip was an eye-opening experience and one that I will remember for many years to come.
“I would like to thank all those who supported me in my trip to Vesnova by making donations monetary or otherwise. To date, I have raised over €1200 for the charity to purchase much needed supplies for the asylum.”
If anyone would like to donate to the cause visit www.mycharity.ie/event/julieannmccaffrey
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