Adi Patricia Roche (born 11 July 1955) is an Irish activist,

anti-nuclear The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

advocate, and campaigner for peace,

humanitarian aid Humanitarian aid is material and logistic assistance to people who need help. It is usually short-term help until the long-term help by the government and other institutions replaces it. Among the people in need are the homeless, refugees, and ...

and education. She founded and is CEO of

Chernobyl Children's Project International Chernobyl Children International (CCI) is a non-profit, international development, medical, and humanitarian organisation that works with children, families and communities that continue to be affected by the economic outcome of the 1986 Chernob ...

. She has focused on the relief of suffering experienced by children in the wake of the 1986

Chernobyl nuclear disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR in the Sov ...

Early life

Adi Roche was born in

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

in 1955. After finishing secondary school, she went to work for

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary ...

. She left in 1984 to work full-time as a volunteer for the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She devised a Peace Education Programme and delivered it in over fifty schools throughout Ireland. In 1990, she became the first Irish woman elected to the board of directors of the

International Peace Bureau The International Peace Bureau (IPB) (french: Bureau international de la paix), founded in 1891, is one of the world's oldest international peace federations. The organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910 for acting "as a link be ...

at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

.Adi Roche - the early favourite
, ''BBC News'', 29 October 1997.

Chernobyl Children International

In 1991, Roche founded the

Chernobyl Children International Chernobyl Children International (CCI) is a non-profit, international development, medical, and humanitarian organisation that works with children, families and communities that continue to be affected by the economic outcome of the 1986 Chernob ...

, to provide aid to the children of

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by R ...

, Western Russia and

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. The organisation works in the areas of international development as well as medical and humanitarian aid. It works with children and families who continue to be affected by the disaster. Under Roche's leadership, Chernobyl Children International (CCI) has delivered over €105 million to the areas most affected by the

and has enabled over 25,500 children affected by the

Chernobyl disaster The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...

to come to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

for vital medical treatment and recuperation. CCI's 'Homes of Hope' programme provides an alternative to state institutions through the use of 30 homes that have been purchased and renovated. This is the equivalent of closing two orphanages in Belarus. It takes children out of orphanages, and places them in loving homes of their own. CCI has built and equipped the first ever baby hospice in Belarus. CCI has provided expert training to the staff to ensure the best care to patients. CCI pioneered the ground breaking adoption agreement between Ireland and Belarus, on behalf of the

Government of Ireland The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland. The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The governm ...

. This agreement allowed hundreds of children to be adopted into Ireland. Mental health and disability development: Since 1986 there has been a marked increase in children being born with mental and physical disabilities. CCI has pioneered the Human Rights of people incarcerated in institutional care. This is at the very heart of the CCI mission. 4,000 life-saving cardiac surgeries have been performed and enabled over the last fifteen years in collaboration with Dr. William Novick of Novick Cardiac Alliance.

Work with United Nations

Roche launched an exhibition of the Chernobyl disaster for the 15th Anniversary of the nuclear accident in the UN Headquarters in New York in 2001. The Chernobyl legacy was demonstrated through digital imagery, photographs and sculpture. Entitled

Black Wind, White Land ''Black Wind, White Land'' is a 1993 documentary film, researched and produced by the founders of the Chernobyl Children's Project International and explores the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 and its consequences for the handicapped developm ...

, the exhibition was a month-long, cross-cultural event featuring the works of artists who depicted the suffering caused by the disaster. It was deemed an outstanding success by the UN and had its European Premiere in Dublin in 2002. She continues to work with the United Nations to highlight the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Over the last decade she has contributed to UN-sponsored conferences and symposia on the fallout of Chernobyl. She has addressed Ambassadors to the UN General Assembly, the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

conference on Chernobyl, and the Manchester International Peace Festival. Roche has provided advice and suggestions to the UN Needs Assessment Mission and has made several submissions on how NGOs could best be helped in their attempts to deliver humanitarian aid to the most affected areas in

and western

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. In July 2003, she was the keynote speaker at the launch of the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network (ICRIN) in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The ICRIN is am initiative joint-sponsored by the UN and the Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation. Roche was appointed to represent NGOs on the Steering Committee of the ICRIN. To mark the 18th Anniversary of the tragedy in April 2004, Roche was invited to speak at the

UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

at their headquarters in New York and to screen the Oscar award-winning documentary ''

Chernobyl Heart ''Chernobyl Heart'' is a 2003 documentary film by Maryann DeLeo. The film won the Best Documentary Short Subject award at The 76th Academy Awards. In the film, DeLeo travels through Ukraine and Belarus with Adi Roche, the Irish founder of the Ch ...

''. In 2004, Chernobyl Children International received official NGO status by the U.N. She was also invited by the UNDP to sit on their organising committee, and act as the keynote speaker at the International Chernobyl Conference which was held in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

in April 2006 (to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster). On 26 April 2016, the 30th anniversary of the

, Roche made a landmark address to the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. In an unprecedented move, the Belarusian UN delegation provided her with their speaking time at the General Assembly discussion on Chernobyl in recognition of the international role Ireland and Chernobyl Children International has played in helping the victims of the Chernobyl catastrophe. It was the first time an ordinary person (non-diplomat/non-political figure) was extended the honour of speaking at the UN General Assembly during a country's allocated time. On 8 December 2016, as a direct result of her address, the United Nations ratified the "Persistent Legacy of Chernobyl disaster", a symbolic element of which is the implementation of the
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

Honours and awards

Roche was awarded the European Woman Laureate Award following the release of the documentary film 'Black Wind, White Land' (1993) which highlighted the Chernobyl children's suffering. In the same year she received the title of the Republic's Person of the Year. In 1997, Roche received

Tipperary International Peace Award Tipperary Town (; ) is a town and a civil parish in County Tipperary, Ireland. Its population was 4,979 at the 2016 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical baro ...

, described as "Ireland's outstanding award for humanitarian work." In 2001, Roche was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree by the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, Canada. In 2007, Roche won the

Robert Burns Humanitarian Award The Robert Burns Humanitarian Award is an award presented annually around the time of Robert Burns' birthday to a group or individual who has saved, improved or enriched the lives of others or society as a whole, through self-sacrifice, selfless ...

. In 2010, Roche received the World of Children Health Award. Since then, Chernobyl Children International has saved the lives of thousands of children born with

congenital heart defect A congenital heart defect (CHD), also known as a congenital heart anomaly and congenital heart disease, is a defect in the structure of the heart or great vessels that is present at birth. A congenital heart defect is classed as a cardiovascular ...

s. In 2015, Roche was named a World of Children Alumni Award Honoree, for the "incredible impact she continues to have in the lives of the children of the Chernobyl region". Also in 2015, Roche won the Princess Grace Humanitarian Award. Awards: * President's Award Tipperary Chamber of Commerce 2019 * Freedom of the City of Cork 2016 * Pride of Ireland Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 * Princess Grace Humanitarian Award 2015 * Top 20 of Ireland's Greatest Women of All Time 2014 * Keynote speaker at the first anniversary commemorations of the Japanese earthquake in Fukushima 2012 * David Chow Humanitarian Award 2008 * Robert Burns Humanitarian Award 2007 * People's Alliance candidate for the Irish Presidential Campaign 1997 * European Person of the Year 1996 * European Woman Laureate Award 1996 * Irish Person of the Year 1996 * First Irish woman elected to the Board of Directors of the

in Geneva * Government appointee on the board of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) Honorary Degrees: * Roche holds an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the

, Canada. * In 2002 she was jointly awarded a Doctorate of Laws with

Ali Hewson Alison Hewson (née Stewart; born 23 March 1961) is an Irish activist and businesswoman. She is the wife of singer and musician Paul Hewson, known as Bono, from the rock group U2. Raised in Raheny, she met her future husband at age 12 at Mou ...

by the National University of Ireland, Galway. * In 2016 she was jointly awarded a Doctorate of Letters with

by the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

Politics

Roche stood for the office of

President of Ireland The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The president holds office for seven years, and can ...

as a coalition candidate for the Labour Party, Democratic Left and the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

at the 1997 presidential election. Roche came fourth out of five candidates with almost 7% of the vote.

References

External links

Chernobyl Children International Website

CCI Facebook

CCI Twitter

CCI Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roche, Adi 1955 births 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people Living people Candidates for President of Ireland Irish humanitarians Irish women in politics People associated with the Chernobyl disaster People from Clonmel Politicians from County Tipperary Irish anti-nuclear activists Irish women activists