So, what happens during a typical visit? Well, this page will give you a flavour of the varied set of activities that the children will experience during their four week visit with Chernobyl Children's Lifeline.
First, some of the activities are practical. The children often arrive from Belarus with little in the way of personal posessions and have the opportunity to select clothes for themselves and be fitted with shoes for the winter in Belarus. There are also visits to the dentist and the opticians.
Other activities are just plain fun, such as a visit to the sea side or to London. But it is the simplest of outings, such as a swim with their friends, that the visiting children enjoy the most.
Finally, there are free days when the children can enjoy time with their host family, either relaxing at home or on family outings.
On many activities the children are accompanied by the host family or their supports - on others the children are accompanied by Link members, giving the host family some time to themselves.
Each year is different, but to give you an idea of the sorts of things we do with the children while they are here, the table below shows a sample events schedule.
Week 1 |
Week 2 |
Week 3 |
Week 4 |
|
Friday |
Arrival |
Vist to Optician Otherwise free
|
Host family change over day |
Horse riding Nail painting (girls) Video evening (boys and girls) |
Saturday |
Informal get-together for games and activities |
Free day (Opportunity to go fishing) |
Football match (boys and girls!) Opportunity to go fishing |
Free day (Opportunity to go fishing) |
Sunday |
Free day | Free day |
Free day |
Free day (Opportunity to go fishing) |
Monday |
Select clothing Swim Activities and crafts Dentist for some |
Trip to London |
Visit to Legoland |
Trip to Hastings (cliff railway, Smugglers Caves, Underwater world, beach) |
Tuesday |
Dentist for some Swimming and sports |
Free day |
Free day |
Free (Dentist for some) |
Wednesday |
Team building event (varied outdoor activities) |
Miniature railway Picnic and swimming at leisure centre |
Seaside trip | Picnic and visit to Hollycombe steam fair |
Thursday |
Shoe fitting Lunch at McDonalds Ten pin bowling Swim Dentist for some |
Pizza making (and eating!) Swim Dentist for some |
Swim Dentist for some |
Farewell BBQ and firework display |