Ukraine

I had a sauna in there — and cooled off in the pig trough to the right. Temperature inside: 100 degrees Temperature outside: below freezing Temperature in trough: just not funny Number of serious injuries to foot while leaping into trough: 1 Number of bottles of vodka used to clean wound: 1 Infections set in: 0

The man at the front right is Vasya, a very good and kind man, who's home I stay in when working for www.aidconvoy.net in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Martin (far left), Jim (next) and I are here visiting the home of Vasya's brother, where we are about to be cooked, quite literally, in the banya (sauna)!

Landie (currently somewhat missing-in-action) with some of the girls from Zamglai, who really love posing for photos. Digital cameras are such an amazing tool here, because we can be sure they actually get to see themselves in the pics! Zamglai is an "internat" - a sort of orphanage. Here the inmates, all girls, are looked after by the staff who are paid only as often as can be afforded. The older girls look after the younger ones, and the more capable help the less capable. Some of them are orphans, many simply can't be looked after at home. When they reach 24 they will either try to live together, and continue to look after each other, or will often end up in an asylum. www.aidconvoy.net Incidentally, the Landie has since been stolen - if you happen to see a discovery which looks as though " www.aidconvoy.net " has been removed from its doors, do please let me know...

Zamglai is an "internat" — a sort of orphanage. Here the inmates, all girls, are looked after by the staff who are paid only as often as can be afforded. The older girls look after the younger ones, and the more capable help the less capable. Some of them are orphans, many simply can't be looked after at home. When they reach 24 they will either try to live together, and continue to look after each other, or will often end up in an asylum. www.aidconvoy.net

This is one of the older girls at Zamglai. She always tries to get away from whatever she's supposed to be doing to come and help us unload the aid. She greets people by grinning, saying nothing, and stroking their arm to see what their clothes feel like. Then giggles, and runs away, but never too far! Zamglai is an "internat" — a sort of orphanage. Here the inmates, all girls, are looked after by the staff who are paid only as often as can be afforded. The older girls look after the younger ones, and the more capable help the less capable. Some of them are orphans, many simply can't be looked after at home. When they reach 24 they will either try to live together, and continue to look after each other, or will often end up in an asylum. www.aidconvoy.net

Always immaculately dressed! This lady is the head teacher at the local school, and the sister-in-law of my very good friend Vasya, with whom I stay when I'm in Chernihiv, Ukraine, where I work under the auspices of Aid Convoy: www.aidconvoy.net

Tonia at a house in Slavutich, Ukraine - the town hurredly built for the former residents of Pripyat, which was evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster and remains a ghost town. Slavutich is divided up into several sections, each of which was "gifted" by a different Soviet republic and given the characteristics of that country's traditional architecture. The money ran out when the Soviet Union collapsed, and these lovely houses in the last section scheduled were never finished. They're from one of the Baltic states. Nobody even knew which one. www.aidconvoy.net

The pillar denotes the various Soviet republics who "gifted" a neighbourhood in this town, Slavutich, which was hurredly built for the former residents of Pripyat, the city evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster (and still a ghost town.) www.aidconvoy.net

Part one of two; a memorial to the Chernobyl disaster, in Slavutich, Ukraine. The second part is adjacent in this photostream, and here: static.flickr.com/39/97397704_d90b76a57e.jpg www.aidconvoy.net