Trust for Chernobyl Children

Belarus lies in the heart of Europe (see map 1) and was the country most severely affected by the nuclear explosion at the Ukrainian nuclear plant in Chernobyl in April 1986.  70 per cent of the radioactive particles blew over Belarus, (see map 2 ) contaminating 22 per cent of its agricultural land and 21 per cent of its forests.  In 1986 2.2 million people, one fifth of the population, lived in the contaminated areas. Today, despite a huge resettlement programme, 1.3million people still live on contaminated land.  The official estimate of the damage to the economy of Belarus is US$235 billion, 60 times the annual national budget.