Adi Roche facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adi Roche
Roche in 2024
Born	(1955-07-11) 11 July 1955 (age 69) Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland
Nationality	Irish
Occupation	CEO of Chernobyl Children International
Organisation	Chernobyl Children International
Political party	Labour Party
Spouse(s)	Seán Dunne (m. 1977)

Adi Marie Roche (born 11 July 1955) is an Irish activist. She works for peace and helps people in need. She is also against nuclear weapons. Adi Roche is best known for starting and leading Chernobyl Children International. This group helps children who were affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Early Life and Peace Work

Adi Roche was born in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, in 1955. After finishing school, she worked for an airline called Aer Lingus. In 1984, she left that job to volunteer full-time. She joined the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. This group worked to stop the use of nuclear weapons.

Adi created a special "Peace Education Programme." She taught this program in over fifty schools across Ireland. In 1990, she made history. She became the first Irish woman to join the board of directors of the International Peace Bureau. This important group works for peace at the United Nations in Geneva.

Helping Children After Chernobyl

In 1991, Adi Roche started Chernobyl Children International (CCI). This organization helps children in Belarus, Western Russia, and Ukraine. These areas were badly affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The disaster caused a lot of harm and left many children sick.

CCI provides medical help and other support to these children and their families. Under Adi's leadership, Chernobyl Children International has sent over €105 million in aid. They have also helped more than 25,500 children come to Ireland for medical care and a chance to get better.

CCI has also started other important projects in Belarus. They built homes for children with mental disabilities. They also started the country's first hospice for babies. A hospice is a special place that cares for people who are very sick. CCI also helped create an agreement for adoption between Ireland and Belarus.

Working with the United Nations

Adi Roche has worked closely with the United Nations (UN) to show the world the effects of the Chernobyl disaster. In 2001, she launched an exhibition at the UN Headquarters in New York. This exhibition showed pictures and art about the suffering caused by Chernobyl. It was called Black Wind, White Land. The UN thought it was a great success.

Adi continues to speak at UN meetings and conferences. She shares ideas on how aid groups can best help the areas affected by Chernobyl. These areas include Belarus, Ukraine, and western Russia. In 2003, she was a main speaker at the launch of a new research network called ICRIN. She was chosen to represent aid groups on its steering committee.

In 2004, Adi was invited to speak at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She also showed the Oscar-winning film Chernobyl Heart. This film is about the health problems faced by children from Chernobyl. In the same year, Chernobyl Children International officially became a UN-recognized aid organization.

On April 26, 2016, the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, Adi gave a very special speech. She spoke to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This was a big moment because the country of Belarus gave her their speaking time. It was the first time an ordinary person, not a diplomat, was given this honor. It showed how much the UN respected Adi and CCI's work.

Awards and Honors

Adi Roche has received many awards for her important work. These awards recognize her efforts to help others and promote peace.

• In 1993, she won the European Woman Laureate Award. This was after the film 'Black Wind, White Land' came out.
• She also received the Tipperary International Peace Award in 1997. This is a top award for humanitarian work in Ireland.
• In 2001, she was given an honorary doctor of law degree from the University of Alberta in Canada.
• She won the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award in 2007.
• In 2010, she received the World of Children Health Award. This award helped CCI save the lives of many children born with heart problems.
• In 2015, she won the Princess Grace Humanitarian Award.
• In 2020, she received the Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize. This award recognized her work for nuclear disarmament and helping Chernobyl victims.

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 International Peace Bureau in Geneva
• Government appointee on the board of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII)

Honorary Degrees:

• Adi Roche has an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of Alberta, Canada.
• In 2002, she and Ali Hewson both received a Doctorate of Laws from the National University of Ireland, Galway.
• In 2016, she and Ali Hewson both received a Doctorate of Letters from the University of Limerick.

In Politics

In 1997, Adi Roche ran for the job of President of Ireland. She was supported by a group of political parties: the Labour Party, Democratic Left, and the Green Party. She was one of five candidates in the 1997 Irish presidential election. Adi came in fourth place, getting almost 7% of the votes.

See Also

• Chernobyl Children International
• Chernobyl disaster effects
• Chernobyl Heart
• Chernobyl Shelter Fund
• Black Wind, White Land
• Ali Hewson
• List of Chernobyl-related articles
• List of peace activists