A U.S.-based mission to the “forgotten children” of the former Soviet Union is aiming to give an “unforgettable summer” to children still suffering from the lingering effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that shook the world 35 years ago.
Supported by Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association, Camp Pearl in Belarus will host an estimated 1,000 children who’ve grown up in the area surrounding Chernobyl’s radiation “exclusion zone.” Many of them suffer from rare cancers and other serious health issues — and some are not expected to live another year.
This summer, children attending the Christian camp — started by the Belarussian Baptist Union in the 1990s at the site of a former Soviet military base — will benefit from much-needed medical and dental care, good food, activities, Bible clubs, and counseling.
Across the former Soviet Union this summer, local evangelical churches — supported by SGA — aim to host more than 500 camps for a total of 40,000 children, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, including orphans, abandoned kids, and children suffering from life-threatening diseases.
Many of the children come from abusive homes with alcoholic parents or state-run orphanages where they’ve been cooped up for months under COVID-19 restrictions.