It is a great pleasure to welcome everyone here today to mark the official opening of this wonderful facility here on the territory of Yazovki Internat, in Belarus. For many years now volunteers from Ireland have been coming to Belarus to work with the children and adults in the orphanage, bringing aid, bringing concern and bringing the hope and promise of a better future. Edel Smith has done wonderful work in Cherven Children’s orphanage and it was her dream always that when they had to move on to an adult internat that it would be to a nice place, and not an institution , to a place of their own and to a place where they were not just numbers but people with a place they could love. Edel set out to create a home for the children she had come to love. Today marks the end of her dream and great thanks and credit is due to all who have been involved. The hope now is that this building will be the standard into the future for special needs care in Belarus. Edel cannot be with us today but for herself she just wants some photos. ‘ ‘I just want to see the faces of my friends when they arrive into their new home,’ she says
Welcome
