The significance of non-governmental aid for the affected countries.

Sources (62.1)  Hohmeyer, Burkhard (Hrsg.): Den Kindern von Tschernobyl, Lit Verlag, Münster 2001, p. 20 (63.1)  Belarusnews, www.belarusnews.de Links List of Chernobyl related international charity organizations (en) http://www.belarusguide.com... Addresses of Russian environmental organisations (en) http://www.igc.org... GREEN CROSS Schweiz (de/fr/en) http://www.greencross.ch... DVTH Deutscher Verband für Tschernobyl-Hilfe e.V. http://www.dvth.de... Thyroid Centre in Gomel (de) http://www.tschernobylhilfe.ffb.org... Leben nach Tschernobyl e.V. (de) http://www.leben-nach-tschernobyl-ev.de... Help for Chernobyl Children (Belarus) (en) http://helpcher.da.ru... Chernobyl Children"s Fund, Japan (en/ja) http://www.smn.co.jp... Chernobyl Children"s Project UK (en) http://www.chernobyl-children.org.uk... Chernobyl"s Children Centre Ukraine-Canada http://www.civilsoc.org... Chernobyl Children"s Project Ireland (en) http://www.chernobyl-ireland.com... Chernobyl charities in the UK (en) http://www.chernobyl.org.uk... Children of Chernobyl, United States Alliance (en) http://www.cofcusa.org... Children of Chornobyl Relief Fund, USA (en) http://www.childrenofchornobyl.org... NGO Ecohome, Belarus (en) http://www.dse.nl... German Chernobyl initiative - Links (de) http://tschernobyl-initiative.welcomes-you.com... IPPNW: International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (Europe) (en) http://www.ippnw-europe.org... Ecodom: resettlement and wind power project (de) http://www.heimstatt-tschernobyl.com... Links to organisations, institutions and NGOs who are critical of nucelar power (de) http://www.ippnw.ch... Further information Database of organisations Database of projects Examples of projects in various sectors NGO

To what extent has aid been provided by NGOs and private initiatives?
To what extent has aid been provided by NGOs and private initiatives? The efforts of national and international NGOs and aid provided through town-twinning and private initiatives continue to be extremely important to the people of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The first private initiative, the Belorussian charitable foundation "Children of Chernobyl", was established in 1989. Since then branches have been set up in 20 European countries, including the German Federal Association "Den Kindern von Tschernobyl", which comprises more than 250 local initiatives.

In Germany, Chernobyl initiatives have tended to focus on Belarus. For many Germans, this involvement had a symbolic meaning: aware of the suffering that Germany inflicted on that country in the Second World War, they wanted to open a new chapter in their relations. The Deutscher Verband für Tschernobyl-Hilfe, which was founded in 1992 as an umbrella organisation, included in 2001 70 of the larger German private initiatives, working together with 50 governmental and non-governmental partners in Belarus (62.1).

There are Chernobyl initiatives all over the world: not just in Europe, but also in the US, Canada and Japan. 28 European cities and communities are twinned with partners in the affected countries. The history of suffering in Hiroshima and Nagasaki has led to particularly close contacts with the Japanese Chernobyl Children's Fund.

Because of their direct personal contact with their partners, the initiatives are familiar with the needs of the people on the ground and can provide targeted aid. Convoys of aid continue to arrive every year. More than 100,000 children have been able to travel abroad on respite holidays, sometimes regularly, as part of these contacts. Belorussian, Russian and Ukrainian doctors have travelled abroad for specialised training and have received technical equipment (63.1).

A list of organisations and projects can be found in the "Organisations" and "Projects" databases.