April 26 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy.  Since 1991, a North Carolina-based volunteer organization is involved in helping children from the areas affected by the explosion.

The Chernobyl disaster arose from an accident that occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union).

ABRO (American Belarussian Relief Organization) was founded in 1991. It is based in Zebulon, NC, east of Raleigh.

Every summer, ABRO brings in children from Belarus for a 6-week long stay with American families in North Carolina and ten other states.  More than 3,100 children have come to the U.S. so far, with 40 of them consequently adopted by U.S. families.

More about ABRO on their site.