Belarus is an Eastern European country bordering Russia to the east, Poland to the west, and Ukraine to the south. It has a population of 9,255,524, making it the 96th most populated country in the world. As a developing country, it is ranked 60th on the Human Development Index. Belarus is a member of multiple international organizations, including the United Nations, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. However, child poverty exists in Belarus, as it is ranked number 5 in the Top 10 poorest countries in Europe in 2024.

Child Poverty in Belarus

According to UNICEF, a child lives in multidimensional poverty if that child experiences two or more deprivations. As a result, a 2017 study from The Guardian reveals that the proportion of children living in institutional care in the region is 2%–5%. Various reasons outside of poverty include large families who are unable to care for their children and the stigmatization of and discrimination against children with disabilities. However, even in Belarusian orphanages, almost 100 children have been living on the brink of starvation in the capital of Minsk. 

One of the contributing factors to child poverty in Belarus is starvation, leading to a government report of over 30,000 Belarusian orphans placed in public institutions. ChildFund International, a development organization founded in 1938, focuses on caring for Belarusian children living in extreme poverty. Since 1993, ChildFund been helping Belarus care for both orphaned and disabled children through the USAID-funded Supporting Orphans and Vulnerable Child program, enacted for children placed in public institutions to live with foster families. It is through ChildFund’s efforts that “three of five piloted communities stopped placing children in orphanages, and the overall rate of children institutionalization has declined by 25 percent.” This is a significant step in the right direction. ChildFund cares for orphans whether or not they have a disability. They make children’s health care their top priority over anything else.

The Chernobyl Disaster

Another factor that is also associated with child poverty in Belarus is the Chernobyl disaster. A study by UNICEF reveals that Belarus has absorbed an estimated 70% of the nuclear fallout. This is likely because Belarus’s border with Ukraine is just 4 miles from the Chernobyl power plant. More than 20% of adolescent children in Belarus suffer from disabilities caused by birth defects, such as congenital heart defects. Health care in Belarus is a problem because of the Chernobyl disaster. The effects of the disaster continue to plague the people despite the country’s best efforts at improving children’s health. According to UNICEF, “48.6% of children in residential care institutions are children with disabilities.”

Chernobyl Children International (CCI), founded in 1991, works to help children in the region who have been impacted by the Chernobyl disaster, including various facilities in Belarus, such as the Vesnova Home for Invalid Children. The Vesnova Home has helped more than 170 children and teenagers born with severe birth defects resulting from the disaster. It was pioneered as a form of independent living and is a part of CCI’s programs.

Through the intervention of CCI, children can live independently in this institutional program rather than in an adult mental asylum. Without CCI, these children would not have attended any educational institutions. They would also have little to no connection with their peers because of their differences. UNICEF highlights that disability is the main reason for child abandonment. It is also why many children throughout the country live in residential homes. This illustrates how child poverty strikes a family if they are provided any special accommodations if they possess any disability. CCI works with children and their families that continue to suffer from the economic outcome of the Chernobyl accident.

Helping the Children of Chernobyl

The Chernobyl disaster occurred more than 38 years ago. However, it became the starting point of a sharp rise in birth defects, which correlates with child poverty in Belarus. There are 2.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, a key demographic indicator in the under-five mortality rate. According to CCI, “Chernobyl is not something from the past. Chernobyl ‘is forever.’ The impact of that single shocking nuclear accident can never be undone; its radioactive footprint is embedded in our world forever and countless millions of people are still being affected by its deadly legacy.”

As a result, CCI continues to stay active in helping Belarus as it provides social support for children. As a result of Chernobyl, in the economic field, “children are the poorest sector of the population, facing 1.5 times greater risk of poverty than the average level across the country.” Whether they were born before or after it, the disaster continues to leave wounds for those who were affected. Consequently, child poverty continues to exist in Belarus. It is the efforts of CCI and various other organizations that ensure that every child is cared for regardless of their disabilities. This will lead to Belarus progressing toward fighting against child poverty and poverty as a whole in this country.

Chernobyl Children International’s founder, Adi Roche, stated perfectly that “CCI is founded on hope and courage: the hope that the children—one by one and heartbeat by heartbeat—will thrive; and the courage to envision and create a better world.”

It is the efforts of various facilities and organizations that have led to foreign aid. They ensure that Belarus is not alone in its struggles against child poverty.

– Nevin Guler
Photo: Flickr