"'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 26:34-40

What is involved in being a Host Family?

If you should decide to be a host family, you may request a boy or girl and may specify an age range.  Children are aged 7-16, but most new children are aged from 7-9.  All children are healthy and from families (no orphans), and are chosen based on their proximity to radioactive areas, their financial status, and their good behavior in school.

The people of Belarus have suffered under extreme and unusual circumstances in the last 75 years. This has caused widespread feelings of despair and hopelessness.

Brief History:

1. Hitler's reign of terror during WW II caused much destruction in Belarus killing 1/4 of the population
2. Stalin and other Communist dictators killed or imprisoned all who opposed him killing another 1/4 of the population.
3. The Chernobyl accident (1986) caused untold ecological and economic damage.  The long-term consequences of this accident are still unknown.

Our program seeks to provide more than just a safe refuge from the damaged ecology.  We seek to help the children holistically by providing opportunities for them to benefit in these ways:

1. Physically
2. Emotionally
3. Spiritually

These situations have produced a culture in which ill health and pessimism are the norm for many people, including the doctors, nurses and teachers; unknowingly, these authority figures are reinforcing this culture on the children.  Often with time, children under such chronic stress make the transition from anxiety through depression, to a state of apathy and fatalism.  And it also shows that it is spreading beyond the affected areas and communities into a wide section of the population. Over 65% of children near the affected communities adopt attitudes which the researchers categorize as pessimistic, far higher than in the population at large.