STUDENTS WANT EUR500,000

THE Union Of Students in Ireland is trying to raise at least half a million euros to help victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The money will be raised by a 10k sponsored walk in association with the Chernobyl Children's Project on November 14.

The fundraising will be preceeded by a familiarisation trip by 20 third-level students to hospitals and orphanages in Belarus.

The students, who will represent more than 250,000 of their peers at colleges and universities in both the North and the Republic, will stay in the country from September 8 to September 15.

One of the students on the trip, Bryan Sweeney, 21, from Thurles, Co Tipperary, is deputy president of the 7,000-member Students' Union in Waterford Institute of Technology.

He said: "Ireland students have set themselves EUR500,000 euro as their target. All the money raised will go directly to Chernobyl and will be delivered by convoy next Easter.

"We would love to see families and friends of students getting behind the walk as well," he said.

The students will bring their own food with them to Belarus and will be unable to contact home.

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