A group of third-level students set out from Dublin today on a 3,000-mile journey to Belarus to deliver supplies to an area still stricken by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
The aid convoy will leave the DIT, Mountjoy Square, at 11.30 a.m. with equipment bought with the £150,000 raised during a record student charity walk last November.
The two ambulances and minibus are being driven by three representatives of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and one from NUI Galway. The group will join a larger convoy from the Children of Chernobyl project before continuing to the Minsk area of Belarus.
The project, started in Cork in 1991, aims to organise rest and care for terminally ill children stricken by the Chernobyl aftermath, organise life-saving operations and deliver medical aid to the worst-hit areas.
The charity's biggest convoy, valued at £2 million, was sent to the Chernobyl region in 1996. The president of USI, Mr Julian de Spainn, expressed his gratitude to those who participated in the sponsored walk: "Today is a day to say thank you to the 10,000 students who braved the elements last November and walked 10 km to help the children of Chernobyl."
Mr Rory McDaid, USI equality officer, also thanked the Bank of Ireland for sponsoring the promotional, advertising and administration costs of the walk.
The many musicians, sports people and others who supported the event were also thanked, particularly Kila, Picturehouse, Dara and Juliet Turner who contributed to the Students' 10k Walk CD
The group plans to return next week.