CORE for contaminated regions to survive

Twenty two years after the Chernobyl Catastrophe three main issues still remain: the radiological safety of food, the attitude of people towards low doses of radiation and the re-orientation of smallholdings. These important issues are being addressed within the UNDP Project "CORE Programme: Co-operation for Rehabilitation of living conditions in Chernobyl affected areas", which unites the efforts of the European Community and European Commission in particular via TACIS projects.

Belarusian partners of the CORE Programme include the Department for Mitigation of the Consequences of the Catastrophe at the Chernobyl NPP of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (ex-Komchernobyl) and representatives of regional authorities, NGOs and private citizens concerned about the issue. The Programme was initiated to assist four contaminated regions of Belarus: Bragin, Chechersk, Slavgorod and Stolin.

CORE Statistics:

Total of 146 projects, with a total budget 9 mln Euro.

37 projects implemented, and 20 under implementation.

73 projects with a total budget 3.2 mln Euro still awaiting partner agreements.

The projects within the CORE Programme operate on a small-scale. They target specific groups of people and can be divided into several categories: socio-economic rehabilitation; culture and education; healthcare and radiological quality. For example, there are projects: involved with setting up a mobile palliative service for the terminally ill from Slavgorod and Chechersk regions; setting up radiological study groups for children in Bragin and Stolin regions to distribute information about radiation where children can draw radiological maps of local areas themselves; organization of a school psychological counseling service for children with developmental problems in Bragin; opening of a mini-bakery in Chechersk for making bread for children from 'problem' families and orphans.

Large-scale projects are implemented within the CORE Programme as well. For instance, "Rehabilitation of patients with radio-induced cancer and other thyroid diseases", which involved supplying Stolin regional hospital with equipment and other materials. A field mission was held for medical checks for people from the region, which showed that 36% of inhabitants exhibited thyroid pathologies. Timely diagnosis and access to medical treatment allows prevention of the  development of thyroid cancer. This sort of activity is extremely important as not everyone can get to an endocrinologist in Gomel.

What are the benefits of CORE?

Mr. Aleksey Chistodarsky, a PR representative of the Coordination Team of the CORE Programme says:

"Programme activities helped to effect a change from the passive acceptance of humanitarian aid to the active implementation of local development projects, initiated by local inhabitants. With the assistance of the CORE Programme people were given an opportunity to take active part in rehabilitation of their living conditions, they learned how to draft and implement projects jointly with national and international partners."

Q: "When does the Programme finish?"

A: "On the 31^st January 2008. It is registered until September 2009".

Q: "What happens after that?"

A: "The CORE Programme set up conditions for long term cooperation. Issues of  CORE Programme coordination will be on the agenda for discussion in the course of the meeting of the Approval Board of the CORE Programme which will take place in the second half of October this year".

CORE Agri: effects for a family

The family of Valentina and Stepan Kalichevsky lives near a forest, where the radiation level reaches 10 qu. They work on a collective farm and always look forward to the start of the mushroom-picking season. For several months of the year they can earn up to two thousand US dollars which they live on for the rest of the year.

"I heard that in a village in the neighbouring region an experiment is being conducted regarding growing shitake mushrooms", says Valentina. "They will grow and then sell these mushrooms later. My husband and I would like to engage in the same sort of activity, however this requires financial resources"…

Valentina was talking about a CORE-Agri project, implemented in Slavgorod and Stolin regions. It is the largest project involving smallholdings of peasants, interested in growing clean agricultural products and increasing their income by selling them. Around 200 families participate in the project annually. They receive micro-credits, assistance in purchasing new breeds of cattle, animal food, new sorts of plants, consultations and useful information.

Implementation of the CORE-Ag

ri Project is to be finished before 2009. There is hope that the skills, received by the peasants will be disseminated later on from one smallholding to another. The main purpose of the project is to teach people 'fishing' rather than provide them with 'fish'.

By Natalia Sharai

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