A RADCLIFFE couple are already planning their third trip to Belarus just days after returning from their latest mission to the stricken country.

Rick and Kazia Krzyworaczka's international errand of mercy last month brought much-needed aid to an orphanage, a convent, and a psychiatric hospital.

Thanks to the generosity of local people, the husband and wife set out with a van loaded with two tons of goods - everything from vital medical equipment to toys.

In fact, so laden was the vehicle that it only just made it up the ramp on to the Hull-Rotterdam ferry on the first leg of the journey.

From there, it was a long drive before the couple finally arrived at their destination.

Their links with Belarus were forged several years ago when they were alerted to the hardship and poverty by a Polish nun, Sister Agnes.

The sister, whose grandmother had lived in Radcliffe until her death in 1995, underlined just how difficult life could be in Belarus.

Today, conditions have improved little. The poverty is allied to ill health, especially among children, due to the prolonged effects of the Chernobyl disaster.

First stop for the Radcliffe couple was the orphanage in Ponyemun. Rick and Kazia were making a return visit after an earlier mission to provide the children and staff with aid. "This time, we found the children more subdued and withdrawn than last year," said Kazia, of Bealey Close, Radcliffe.

"Again, the surroundings were neat and clean but there was nothing for the children to play with - nothing to stimulate them.

"They had the soft toys we took last year and much needed they were, too, for providing comfort for the children."

She added: "But what they need now are toys that will make them think, that will make their brains work.

"As one sister remarked, 'These children grow but they do not develop. They simply get bigger and older.'"

The couple also visited Sister Agnes's convent which runs soup kitchens.

"It is frequented by an ever-increasing number of people, especially women and children. And, as before, people still come daily to the convent asking for food and clothes," explained Kazia.

A visit to a Belarus psychiatric hospital was described as "very depressing" by the couple.

"It looked more like a prison than a hospital," said Kazia. "We listened to the people, to their stories, and how they came to be there.

"One lady begged us to take her 13-year-old daughter and educate her in England as there was no one to look after her at home. Another sang to us, beautifully, in English."

They saw the children's ward, which held 20 youngsters. "It was quite heart-rending. The doctor asked us for toys for them to help stimulate the children - it's good therapy."

They said their latest trip alerted them to the fact that there is an alarming lack of medicines. They are expensive and out of reach for ordinary people.

She added: "We should also like to thank everyone who supported and helped us in any way during the past two years. Without them, none of this would have been possible."

Meanwhile, Kazia and Rick are putting together four picture boards, highlighting their latest mission of mercy.

These will be displayed at St Mary's RC Church in Radcliffe and Guardian Angels Church in Bury which have provided the couple with much assistance.

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