The Councilor for Social Rights and Family, Pilar Torres, has received this morning in the Plenary Hall of the City Council children from Biolorrusia who are sharing Christmas with Murcia families, under the welcome program promoted by the Association of Solidarity Families with the Belarusian People.
"Murcia welcomes you with open arms. In your heart, we want you to feel Murcia as your second home," said the councilor, who added that "always remember everything you are living these days but, above all, remember the affection of your second families, the love of Murcian families, who will leave an indelible mark on you, like you to them. "
In total, 17 children have been welcomed by families from Murcia and their districts from summer until now.
Specifically, 8 have arrived at Christmas.
The event was attended by the president of the association, Pedro Javier Guevara.
The stay of children received in summer was two months, while those welcomed at Christmas will spend a month together with their host families.
In the Region, 100 children participated in the program during the summer months.
At Christmas a total of 48 are participating.
Since 1998
The main objective of this program, which started in 1998, when the entity was founded, is to reduce the levels of radioactivity experienced by minors, as a result of the Chernobyl nuclear accident.
The association is responsible for contacting Spanish families who voluntarily welcome children from the cities of Maguilov and Gómel.
When they land in the municipality, children have very high levels of radioactivity in the body, which range between 20% becquerel / kg - a unit in which active radioactivity is measured - and 70% becquerel / kg, which poses a great risk to health.
Such radioactivity can cause disorders in the nervous system and in the sensory and digestive organs, as well as alterations in blood circulation and malignant tumors, among other problems.
During their stay in the municipality, upon receiving uncontaminated water and food, the aforementioned indices experience a significant decrease, which fluctuates between 20 and 40%.
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia