About Us





 Welcome to Chernobyl Aid Ireland

Chernobyl Aid Ireland is a voluntary organisation run under the leadership of Liam Grant,a retired paramedic from Listerlin in Co. Kilkenny.Set up in 1997 the Chernobyl Aid Ireland group identified an orphanage 100km south of Minsk called Grozovo which was in serious need of refurbishment. This school is home to 200 orphans ranging in ages from 6 to 17. In 1997 the school had no hot water, cold and bleak sleeping accommodation indeed very poor living conditions in general. Since 1997 the school has slowly but surely been renovated piece by piece with new PVC double glazed windows,dry-lined and insulated bedrooms, new shower units with hot water, new kitchens and a fully functioning farm all directly funded by Irish people. All of this work has had many positive effects on the children of Grozovo - not only with their living conditions but because of the better living conditions they have gained a better outlook on life. Now many of the orphanage children go onto university and college which back in 1997 was practically unheard of.
The Chernobyl Aid Ireland group operates a rest and recuperation programme twice yearly which sees many children traveling to Ireland for much need time away from the contaminated areas of Belarus. These children come to Ireland for varying amounts of time during the summer months and at Christmas. This has led to some of the orphanage children building long-term bonds with their respective families who keep having "their" children back to their homes time and time again. The children gain amazing levels of English which is massively beneficial for their future careers. Indeed many Irish families support financially their "adopted" children while attending further education so as to give them the best possible start to their lives. 

Formed twenty years ago our head office is based in Waterford but our members span the whole of Ireland. Our main aim is to provide comfortable living conditions for the residents of Grozovo. All our members are voluntary, ordinary working people who give up their time freely to help make a better life for the residents of Grozovo.



Our Mission Statement

 Chernobyl Aid Ireland was established in 1997 to help the residents of Grozovo Boarding School. It’s a home for 200 people with special needs. Grozovo Boarding School is 120 km outside Minsk – the capital of Belarus. All the residents come from social backgrounds and need all the help they can get. The aim of Chernobyl Aid Ireland is to turn Grozovo from the former military barracks into decent place to live. We also provide medical treatment for the residents and organize a Rest & Recuperation programme for the children of Belarus in Ireland.