CHERNOBYL CAMPAIGNER Adi Roche has received a global award in recognition of her work.
Ms Roche, the chief executive of Irish-based charity Chernobyl Children International, was honoured at the World of Children Awards ceremony which took place in Unicef House in New York yesterday.
Ms Roche said she was “deeply honoured” to have been chosen for the award.
“I would like to take this special opportunity to remember the forgotten children of Chernobyl and in their name, and in the name of countless volunteers, I am delighted and deeply honoured to have such a prestigious prize awarded to me and to the work of Chernobyl Children International,” she said.
The award comes a year ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 when one of four nuclear reactors in the Ukrainian power station exploded, causing radioactive dust to be spewed across Russia and northern Europe, the epicentre of the nuclear fallout straddling parts of Ukraine and neighbouring Belarus.
The World of Children Awards has identified some of the most promising child advocates worldwide and provided funding for their efforts to improve children’s lives.
“The World of Children Awards programme is proud to support exemplary individuals for their tremendous efforts to improve the lives of children in the US and abroad,” Harry Leibowitz, the co-founder and co-chairman of the awards said.
“Adi Roche is one of the extraordinary individuals who have pioneered life-changing programmes to benefit children,” he added yesterday.
As part of the prize, Ms Roche will receive a $50,000 (€35,000) grant for the Chernobyl Children International charity which will go towards its child cardiac surgery programme.