World Service

Forty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident took place at Chernobyl, in what was then the Soviet Union. When news of the disaster began to emerge beyond the Iron Curtain, one of those paying close attention was Adi Roche in Ireland. At the time, Adi was working as a peace educator, teaching about nuclear weapons and Cold War tensions. She went on to found Chernobyl Children International, which became one of the most significant and sustained humanitarian responses to the disaster. Over the years, she brought aid and medical support to Ukraine, Belarus and other affected regions, established a paediatric cardiac programme for children born with heart defects, and helped arrange for children from Belarus to be adopted in Ireland. In this edition of Heart and Soul, Colm Flynn meets Adi Roche to hear about the work that has shaped her life, and the Christian faith that she says has sustained her through it. Together, they reflect on suffering, compassion and the question of how a loving God can make sense in the face of such tragedy. Colm also meets Raisa Miknovitch Carolan, who was just six years old when Adi first encountered her in Belarus. A survivor of the Chernobyl disaster, Raisa was abandoned in an orphanage before later being adopted by an Irish family. Now 29, and having undergone 25 operations for serious health conditions linked to radiation exposure, she reflects on survival, loss and the difficult knowledge that while she was given a new life, many others were left behind. [Photo Description: Adi Roche at the Chernobyl Nuclear, Photo Credit: Chernobyl Children International] Producer/Presenter: Colm Flynn Series Producer: Rajeev Gupta Editor: Chloe Walker Production Coordinator: Mica Nepomuceno