TEIGNBRIDGE HUMANITARIAN AID TO CHERNOBYL Motto. From the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success.
The officers of THATCH are.
Chairman
John FISHER
01364 653867
mail jonzen@fish.co.uk
Vice Chairman
Tom ARCHER
01647 253017
mail Tarch941@aol.com
Secretary
Maggie FISHER
01392435389
Treasurer
Carol LLOYD
01647 253017
mail Tarch941@aol.com
Headmistress of Gleanisha School - Olga Tsyrylik
THATCH was formed in January 2003 by Tom ARCHER and John FISHER. They had been involved in children’s recuperative holidays for some years, but following a visit to Khoiniki, Gomel region in October 2002, they saw that there was a need for humanitarian assistance, to help the people blighted by the effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, rebuild their social and economic infrastructure.
They had received advice and support from Patrick GRAY of Oxford Research and Martin CHILD vice consul at the British Embassy in Minsk.
They invited to the UK in January 2003, Nicholai SADCHENKO chief executive of Khoiniki, to see how the two communities could work together to achieve these aims.
THATCH is based on the Teignbridge District Council Area, which is centred upon the South Devon Town of Newton Abbot.
Several people attended an inaugural meeting, where Graham JEFFS from Mendip District Council spoke about the success they had achieved, and gave encouragement to the principals of sustainable projects and partnership working as the way forward.
In October 2003 THATCH sent two advisors to Khoiniki to investigate the potential for development. They were Andy JOHNSON, who is an horticulturalist and the manager at Riverford Organics the country’s foremost producer of organic vegetables, together with John ROBERTS an organic chicken farmer from Bridford in the Teign Valley. Andy and John had a varied visit, through this was written a “Ten Year Plan”. This is the blueprint for our work for the future. However it is realised that if there needs to be adjustments to take in specific issues this can be done.
Proposed site for Polly Tunnels
THATCH asked Khoiniki what it would like to pursue as its first project, as it is all very well us in the UK giving advice, it is the people on the ground that will have to be there on a daily basis to make the project work.
Khoiniki expressed a wish to develop a simple chicken meat production unit based on the low tech system employed so effectively at John ROBERT, Roberts Acre Farm. In January 2004 two men from Belarus came to Teignbridge to learn the system employed. They spent five weeks with John learning everything from the ground up.
In April 2004 Tom ARCHER and John FISHER, drove a lorry containing aid to Khoiniki. This consisted of three Polly tunnels, seeds donated by TUCKERS seed merchant from Ashburton. Computers, books and paper for schools, sewing machines and material. This first trip was achieved using a 7.5 ton truck lent by Nick KINGDON from Wessex DAF.
The aim of this trip was fourfold, firstly to gain knowledge and experience, secondly to show the people of Khoiniki that we would deliver on our promise, thirdly to check on the development of the chicken project, and fourthly to dispel the myth that you cannot take aid to Belarus.
Although this seemed only a small amount of aid to deliver, the simple statement from Luda KULAKOWSKI head of Education Department Khoiniki, said it all “To you this may seem like a drop, but to us it’s a flood”.
The trip was a huge success, there were setbacks, but we never supposed for a minute that everything was going to be plain sailing, and it is only through your mistakes that you learn.
Customs at Koslovichi on the Belarus Border could not have been less helpful. If it had not been for ANNA an interpreter who spoke German, and me with the little German I picked up in my Army service, it is possible that we would still be there now. But what a great learning curve! Thanks also to Mike ALLISON from CCP (UK) who gave advice counsel and wisdom before we departed.
The chicken project has not developed as quickly as we would have wished, but there are issues in learning about the controls and constraints imposed, and also in educating people in to taking responsibility for their own lives.
In August 2004 Mat HARRIS a THATCH member went to Belarus on private business, whilst he was there he visited Khoiniki on our behalf, he produced a very comprehensive report, and visited Gleanisha School where the Polly Tunnels have been erected. They have had great success this year; they are looking to relocate them over an underground heating system to make full use of the wasted energy. They are looking to produce seedlings in a propagation unit that they can then sell on to raise funds for the school. This is exactly the sort of project that we wish to support and promote.
As I write this report our secretary Maggie FISHER together with our treasurer Carol LLOYD are in Khoiniki, seeing for them selves how things are done and looking at where we can concentrate our efforts for maximum success. They are visiting the Technical College in Khoiniki to see if they can be linked with one of our own Technical Colleges, for student and lecturer exchanges.
THATCH was successful in bidding for a DFID grant to help it achieve its aims for 2004.
The first of many "What one man can do, so can another"
We aim to see acres of Polly Tunnels
In October 2004 John FISHER together with a new member Alexei PLUMMER are delivering another load of aid. They will be met in Khoiniki by Mat in order that our next project proposal, a dairy milking unit can be evaluated.
It is proposed to bring to the UK in January 2005 two farm managers , to be taught how to maximise the potential of their dairy units, and then to supply and install a more modern milking parlour in the Spring of 2005.
THATCH is always looking to work with other interested parties to achieve common goals; it is only through partnership and cooperation that real headway can be made. We see ourselves as TEAM players, and TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More.
One of THATCH’S long term aims is to find other Districts in the UK that can twin/link with Districts in Belarus to develop the principal of duplication. THATCH aims to develop centres of excellence in Belarus where people can go to be trained in aspects of economic and social development, then returning to their own districts to replicate what they have learnt, thereby improving the lives of ordinary people nationwide.
THATCH would like to propose a conference to be held in 2005 to invite those charities and organisations that are currently working in the field encompassing the Chernobyl Disaster. If this could be in the South of England this could complement the previous conference held in the North of England earlier in 2004.
THATCH also is planning to run a convoy of several vehicle to Khoiniki in March 2005, as we now have so much aid stored that we need to see it delivered and in the hands of the people that need to use it. We are committed to sending items that can have a direct effect on Social and Economic areas, rather than sending simply clothing however worthwhile that may be.
THATCH is in the process of applying to be registered as a Charity.
