ABRO, a Christian ministry is seeking deaf Christian families/individuals in the Washington, DC area to serve as hosts for a deaf Belarussian child or their adult chaperone/interpreter for six weeks in the summer -- June and early July.

Host Responsibilities: housing, feeding their guest, and taking him/her the medical appointments. They also may have time for recreational activities.

Contact: Rebecca Coyne (ABRO) or Ron Friedrich (Christ Lutheran Church of the Deaf, Silver Spring, MD)

Backstory
In 1986 a catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor released a large amount of nuclear radiation into the atmosphere. Seventy percent of that contamination fell in Eastern Europe on the small country of Belarus, a part of the former Soviet Union.

Many Belarussian children born since then have serious health problems caused by radiation poisoning such as thyroid cancer, leukemia, and glandular disorders. Many of these children are orphans and some are deaf.

Every year ABRO brings some of those children to the United States to receive medical care and rest from the physical and emotional stress from living in a contaminated environment. ABRO is finally able to begin helping deaf orphans and bring them to the United States for medical attention through the efforts of Rebecca Coyne (Chapel Hill, NC). Mrs. Coyne is a CODA who has worked with Belarussian orphans for many years.

More Information
American Belarussian Relief Organization
Mrs. Coyne's work
ABRO's host handbook and application form
Group pictures