HIKING NEWS ITEM

Couple Raises Awareness On Chernobyl Accident

TUESDAY, 16 MAY 2006

From www.2000k.soliloq.com:

On July 6th 2006, avid hikers Christian Boyko and Emmanuelle Plattet will trade their hiking gear to embark on a cross-Europe bicycle trip from Bern, Switzerland to Kiev in the Ukraine some 2100 kilometers away to raise awareness for the long term effects of the Chernobyl incident and the ongoing emotional stresses that people endure even today, 20 years after the accident. “We both are adventurous in nature and have taken many adventures throughout our lives but we wanted to do a little more on this trip”, explains Christian.

Their trip will last about 24 days and cover Switzerland, Germany, Poland Czech Republic and The Ukraine and is sponsored in association with FOCCUS (FRIENDS OF CHERNOBYL CENTERS U.S., INC) a non-profit organization whose main goal is to raise awareness of the long term effects of the Chernobyl incident, which the UN describes as “the greatest environmental catastrophe in the history of humanity”. This extraordinary trip has two purposes: (1) to raise public awareness about the Chernobyl catastrophe in this 20th anniversary year and (2) to garner resources to support Community Centers serving thousands of people whose lives have been forever changed as a result of the Chernobyl accident.

What happened in Chernobyl, Ukraine?

The now inactive Chernobyl nuclear power plant is located in Chernobyl, Ukraine, an area bordered by Russia and Belarus. On April 26, 1986 a faulty monitoring procedure during a routine test caused an explosion and meltdown in one of the plant’s four reactors, spewing more than 200 times the amount of radiation released at Hiroshima and Nagasaki into the atmosphere. The resulting fire took more than 600,000 fire-fighters and emergency workers to extinguish. It took over two years to partially clean up the site to prevent further environmental contamination and radiation exposure.

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which contaminated 63,000 square miles of land, has affected more than seven million people in many ways. More than 350,000 people have been relocated from their homes and nearly 150,000 invalids are listed on the Chernobyl registry in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Christian and Emmanuelle have teamed up with FOCCUS who work directly within these communities, to inform the public that the Chernobyl accident is far from being over. One of the primary goals of FOCCUS is to strengthen recovery efforts of communities in Russia and Ukraine that have been severely affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident and Christian and Emmanuelle hope to bring new light to the ongoing struggle of everyday life with the 2000 km campaign of hope.

How can you help?

As part of the “2000 km campaign of hope” their website www.2000k.soliloq.com was initiated to spread the word and educate the people of the ongoing problems of the Chernobyl accident. Supported by a fabulous gallery that will be updated day to day during the trip which allows the public to follow and send comments in real time during their 24 day journey. Plus you get a chance to see new photos and information on the road into the Chernobyl zone and all the stops in between.

The 2000 km campaign is a campaign for awareness therefore it is easy to get involved. Just send them a little support and inform yourself on the issue of Chernobyl at their website. This small creative act on your part will do much to promote a more humane and compassionate world not only for those affected by Chernobyl and for all of us who care about the world we live in. If you doubt this, please explore the web site www.2000k.soliloq.com as a first step in your commitment to this project.

The road is a long and winding path that starts within all of us and, although it will end in Kiev, we hope that it will live in your hearts forever.