Child refugees from contaminated Russian regions hosted in Italy for health recovery
Children hosted by families in the **Baldo-Garda** area arrived last Sunday and will depart on August 25th. They come from radiation-contaminated regions of Russia.
Some of them will live with families who hosted them last year, reuniting with friends and loved ones; others will arrive for the first time, encountering new habits and environments. For all, the main purpose of their stay in our area is to facilitate a partial but significant recovery of their immune defenses, which are weakened by living in contaminated territories, breathing the air, and eating foods produced on those poisoned lands.
Association and Activities
The children number 36 and are accompanied by **Anatolji Korotov** and **Marina Korotova**, responsible for the **«Nadeshdza» Association** (which means “Hope” in Russian), based in Moscow. The association is linked to the **«Arcobaleno» Onlus Association**, regularly registered in the regional volunteer register, which operates in the **Baldo-Garda** area and has been organizing these stays since 1997, preferably in this territory.
The **«Arcobaleno» Association** and hosting families have also sought to make the children’s stay enjoyable this year, collaborating with the **Acqua Park Rio Valli**, the water park **«Le Ninfee»** in Desenzano del Garda, and **«Alto Mincio»** in Valeggio, to ensure the children spend healthy, carefree days that will surely remain in their memories.
They will also be able to attend a mini ceramics workshop at the studio of the ceramic sculptor **Pino Castagna**, who will provide clay and colors, allowing the children to create keepsakes of their stay themselves.
Many of these children come from orphanages, and returning to Italy is a great gift for their health, but also a subtle bond of affection, a reminder that someone is waiting for them.
Many host families offer travel, meals, and accommodation for their young guests; others can provide hospitality but not transportation. For this reason, the **«Arcobaleno» Association** also needs support from those who cannot host the children but could help by contributing to cover their travel costs to and from their home regions.
We remind that the **«Arcobaleno» Association**, starting in August, is collecting applications from families willing to host a child or an accompanying adult during the Christmas period.
For more information, you can contact **Mrs. Cressotti Daniela**, President of the **«Arcobaleno» Association**, at 045.728.5170, or **Cristina Zanini**, Vice President, at 045.620.0136 / macriza@libero.it.
