Chernobyl charity says donations down

THE CHIEF executive of the Chernobyl Children International charity has said the Cork-based charity is anticipating a 40 to 50 per cent drop in income this year.

Adi Roche said yesterday that 2012 would be even more challenging for the charity.

New accounts for the 12 months to the end of January 2011 showed that two anonymous donors gave more than €500,000 each to the charity while it also receiving the €250,000 proceeds from the sale of a home in a legacy.

A spokeswoman for the charity confirmed one Irish individual – who does not wish to be identified by the charity – that gave €550,000 in the financial year ended January 2011.

The spokeswoman said that an overseas philanthropist – who also wishes to remain anonymous – also gave the charity €500,000, with a Cork person bequeathing a home to the charity that realised €250,000. As a result of the €1.3 million received in exceptional gifts, donation income to the charity increased by 23 per cent from €2.33 million to €2.88 million.

The spokeswoman said that the charity sustained a 40 per cent drop in donation income in the 12 months to the end of January 2012. The figures are expected to show donation income of €1.6 million for the 12 months ended January 2012 that includes almost €300,000 in funding from Irish Aid.

The chief factor behind the 40 per cent drop in donation income is the absence of “exceptional gifts”. Funding from general donations also dropped by an estimated €200,000 last year, from €1.5 million to €1.3 million.

As a result, the spokeswoman said the charity was reconsidering one or two of its programmes, including its community care programme.