Limerick Rose Kayleigh Maher volunteers at Belarus orphanage

THE 2017 Limerick Rose has returned from an emotional volunteering trip to an orphanage in Belarus with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International.

Kayleigh, a teacher, accompanied the 2017 Rose of Tralee Jennifer Byrne, 26 fellow roses and Ms Roche on the trip - a week of caring for the children in Vesnova Children’s Mental Asylum, where victims who are still being born with deformities and illnesses are sent by the country’s authorities.

The Roses’ mission is to provide one-to-one attention to the children, who are largely left alone all day. They also viewed some other projects by Ms Roche, such as Homes of Hope.

“It's difficult to put my experience into words but I can safely say that a piece of Vesnova will always be with me. This touching experience has opened my eyes to all that is good in the world,” said Kayleigh, from Kilcornan.