Chernobyl victims unite to support Adi Roche as she is conferred with Honorary Doctorate

Three innocent victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, whose lives were transformed by Irish humanitarian efforts, will travel to Cork to support and honour Ms Adi Roche, Founder and Voluntary CEO of Chernobyl Children International (CCI), on Wednesday 11 December, as she will be conferred with an Honorary Doctorate from NUI University College Cork (UCC).

Speaking about the honour, Ms Roche said:
“I humbly accept this honour not for just myself, but on behalf the victims and survivors of Chernobyl and also on behalf of our army of dedicated, selfless volunteers, our generous donors and our hardworking staff all of whom have been the lifeblood of the unparalleled humanitarian response from Ireland to the affected areas and the innocent child victims of the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster.”

“Cork has been the beating heart of our sustained humanitarian response for almost 40 years, so receiving this accolade from UCC has a deep significance.” 

Joining Ms Roche for the celebration are three, now adult, victims of Chernobyl Anna Gabriel, Raisa Carolan and Marharyta Marozova ,all of whom were abandoned to a children’s institution in Belarus as infants, suffering from a wide range of Chernobyl related disabilities and illnesses.  However, all three young women’s lives have been transformed thanks to the intervention of Irish humanitarian support pioneered by Adi and her charity.   Thanks to the humanitarian work of Roche and CCI, all three young women received medical care and support for their varied conditions, which has enabled them to live fulfilled and happy lives.   Their presence at the Honorary Conferring ceremony represents the enduring legacy of Adi Roche’s tireless work and is a testament to the life-changing impact of her advocacy and humanitarian work.

Adi Roche will receive the honorary Doctorate of Arts from UCC in recognition of her work as ‘a humanitarian and educator of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, campaigner for peace and leadership as an anti-nuclear advocate’.  The ceremony takes place on 11 December at UCC’s historic Aula Maxima, bringing together dignitaries, academics, family and friends to celebrate her achievements, alongside fellow honourees Jeremy Irons, Lord David Puttnam and Dominic Casey.

For almost 5 decades, Adi has been passionately campaigning for, and is publicly active in, issues relating to the environment, peace and social justice.   In 1986, Adi started working in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster to provide support to children living in the affected areas, which led to the founding of Chernobyl Children International (CCI).  As Voluntary CEO, Adi has led CCI to deliver over €108million of humanitarian aid and services to the Chernobyl affected regions and the charity is already in preparation for the 40th Anniversary commemorations in 2026.

https://www.chernobyl-international.com/