‘We have never seen suffering on this scale’
From the shadows of Chernobyl to the frontlines of today’s crisis, a Cork-based humanitarian charity is marking its 40th anniversary with an urgent new year appeal.
The Greater Chernobyl Cause is calling on the people of Ireland to renew their solidarity with Ukraine as the nation continues to suffer at the hands of Russia.
For charity, this anniversary is more than a moment of remembrance; it is a rallying call to action.
"As we have entered a new year and reflect on four decades since Chernobyl, we face a new and urgent test of our collective humanity,” said Fiona Corcoran, founder of the Greater Chernobyl Cause.
She continued: “We have never seen suffering on this scale. Every day, we see lives saved by the kindness of strangers and the generosity of those who refuse to look away. But the need is so much greater than our current resources can meet.”
With each passing day, the challenges faced by the charity grow as its resources are stretched thinner and thinner.
Ms Corcoran said: “Your support can bring warmth to a cold and frightened child, deliver medicine to the sick, and ensure that no one faces the darkness alone.
“No gift is too small. Every euro, every gesture of compassion, makes a difference. Your donation could be the lifeline that saves a life this winter and fuels hope for the year ahead.”
Founded in the aftermath of Chernobyl, the Greater Chernobyl Cause has devoted nearly a quarter of a century to serving the forgotten, the vulnerable, and the voiceless. The charity provides humanitarian aid to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Russia and operates a programme of overseas volunteers.
As part of its humanitarian work, the charity finances the construction and repair of orphanages, hospitals, and care centres, purchasing all materials locally and creating employment at the facilities.
The charity is also involved in hospice work for the elderly while providing overseas medical treatment for sick children and education programmes for schools and colleges.
Ms Corcoran said: “This past year, the suffering of ordinary Ukrainians has been profound and relentless. Cities and villages once filled with laughter now echo with sirens and heartbreak. Families have been ripped apart; elderly people shelter in ruins, unable to flee. Children—innocent and bewildered—cry out for parents lost to violence or scattered by displacement.
“Join us. Stand with Ukraine. Help us carry the torch of Chernobyl’s legacy—not just as a memory of tragedy, but as a beacon of hope and life-saving compassion,” she concluded.