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Our Mission |
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Our
mission is to promote nurturing touch
through training, education, and
research so that babies, parents, and
caregivers are loved, valued, and
respected throughout the world
community. |
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56 CE
Hours
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51.5 CE
Hours
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Trainer Suzanne
Reese, who leaves for Belarus on Oct
17, 2005, explains what this journey
means to her:
I am
so honored, moved and well...there
are few words to really express how
I feel really to be the first
American to join the Irish Medical
Team of the Chernobyl Children's
Project International on a
humanitarian effort to the
Children's Asylum in Vesnova,
Belarus.
After seeing the documentary on HBO
"Chernobyl's Heart", I contacted the
Chernobyl Childrens' Project
and submitted a letter explaining
what capacity I work in and who I
represent. I did not know, at the
time, what would come it it. I just
said that I want to help in any
capacity I could.
I was contacted by the executive
director and asked to submit my CV
and a letter of intent. So I did,
and out of the thousands of
volunteer applications and proposals
they receive, they narrowed them
down to 6, and I am one of these 6 -
the first team to work with the
children, families and staff outside
of the Irish Medical Team that
frequents Vesonova to perform
life-saving heart surgeries and
surgeries to correct severe physical
deformaties that are life
threatening....and there are the
children who live there everyday.
These children don't need surgery to
survive, but their hearts are
suffering.
It is my hope that I can help the
staff and the families who are
involved discover the beautiful
souls they are in the presence of
and in the process, even discover
themselves.
I just cannot express the feeling I
have inside of me to be part of
this...to look in the eyes of these
children and without words, say "I
see you, and you are beautiful...and
I am honored to know you. Thank you
for inviting me to be near you"...
and for many of these children, I am
confident, it will be the first time
someone will ask "May I hold your
hand?" And embrace them, not
necessarily with my arms - because
for some of them that is too painful
-- but rather, with our souls, our
energy that transcends the space
between our continents and the
language from our spoken words.
Vesnova, Belarus was (and remains)
one of the hardest hit areas by the
nuclear blast in Chernobyl nearly 20
years ago. These children are
victims of long-term radiation
exposure in utero and early
childhood. The results are brain and
organ abnormalities/defects and
every kind of developmental delay
and anomaly we can probably think
of. If you wish to see the children
I will be working with, please visit
image gallery here:
http://www.ccp-intl.org/images.html
For one week, we will be living in
the Asylum with the children. We
have to supply our own food & water
- as the food & water there is
contaminated. No showers or baths of
water, but plenty of the sheer love
and compassion we will all "shower"
these children with.
I am deeply honored and moved to be
a part of this. Teaching, sharing
and guiding our work in baby massage
as nurturing and compassionate touch
to help these infants and children
thrive in their environment, help
them establish and enhance human
relationship through nonverbal
communication...to learn "I exist"
and "I am loved and wanted" will be,
to date, my greatest accomplishment. |
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Infant Massage USA is the US Chapter
to the International Association of
Infant Massage, with its offices in
Sweden (iaim.net). Our
program is the one founded by, and
continues to be supported by, Vimala
Schneider McClure, author of “Infant
Massage, A Handbook for Loving
Parents” and a pioneer in Infant
Massage.
Learn
More...
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