Sponsored Walk for Children�s Chernobyl Project , 14th of November 2002.

In September I visited Belarus to see for myself the destruction and devastation that occurred as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It was horrific and the conditions in which people are forced to live are horrendous. I was fortunate to visit some of the children�s homes and orphanages and to witness the trauma that they experience every day was heartrending. It is terrible to think that these people must undergo life�s daily activities in this sadness but it must be realised that we are in a position to offer some assistance.

Two children in the Gorrodesche Orphanage, Belarus.

In the last two years the Union of Students in Ireland have organised the 10K walk to raise as much money as possible for the work of the Children�s Chernobyl Project. This money has paid for Humanitarian Aid, the construction of basic facilities in Orphanages and Hospitals and has implemented basic training programmes for children. The 10K walk takes place in every college around the country, North and South. It has worked in other colleges around the country but sadly it has failed in UCD. EU500,000 has been raised for the CCP and unfortunately none of this good work can be attributed to UCD.

S�amus � Maonaigh, UCD Student Union Welfare Officer, Vice President and 10K Walk Co-ordinator UCD who visited Belarus in September with a toddler from one of the orphanages.

I would like to change all this and in order to do so I am requiring your assistance. The date for the walk has been scheduled for the 14th of November and I hope to get as many people involved as possible. I am writing to all members of staff offering them the chance to take part in many ways. One of these is to allow students to do the walk by allocating extra time to them if they have assignments due on that date or to grant them permission to be absent from your lecture/class on the given date. Another way that you may help is by taking part in the walk itself and by attempting to gain as much sponsorship as possible. These are some of the ways in which you can contribute to the project.

It is my intention to make this as successful as possible and in order to do so I will need as much support as possible. If you decide to help me I would be eternally grateful and you can be assured that your efforts are making a huge difference to the poverty stricken people of Belarus. The motto of the Children�s Chernobyl Project is �Offering Hope to Live� and with your support and good work we can continue to spread this message.

If you wish to contact me please do not hesitate to do so. My office is located in the new Student Centre and my office hours are from 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday. You may call me on 01 716 3112 or I am contactable via e-mail at suwelfare@ucd.ie

Looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest possible convenience,

S�amus � Maonaigh

Welfare Officer-Vice President and 10K Walk Co-ordinator UCD Students� Union 2002-2003.