Kids inspire Ben to action

Kids inspire Ben to action

1 August 2012 - by Joanne Fleming

A BALLYNAHINCH man has seen at first hand the devastating impact of a nuclear disaster.

Ben Acheson has been on a life changing trip to the Polygon region of East Kazakhstan as part of his job as an assistant to an MEP, and is now trying to help some of its most vulnerable children.

With the Soviet Union using this part of Central Asia as a secret nuclear testing site for most of the 20th century, he explained how birth defects and low life expectancy have become common.

“It is an area that not many people in County Down have heard of but the people in this region are suffering,” he said. “Cancers and birth defects run at five times the national average. Babies and farm animals are born with terrible deformities. Young men are impotent and young women are afraid to become pregnant in case they give birth to defective babies. Psychological disorders and suicides are rife and the average life expectancy is just 52, compared to 77 and 81 for men and women in Northern Ireland.

“This is all because, from 1949 until 1990, the Soviet Union used the region as a nuclear testing site. Hidden from the world, this top-secret site the size of France was subjected to over 600 nuclear explosions.”

Ben explained that Soviet scientists would wait until the wind was blowing in the direction of local villages before detonating devices, purely to test the impacts of radiation on locals.

Having lived in Ballynahinch most of his life, he became aware of the problems in the area after starting work at the European Parliament in Brussels in 2009.

“I learnt that the politician I assist, Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, had an interest in the ‘Polygon’ region of East Kazakhstan,” he said. “And in July this year, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Kazakhstan with my boss, in order to deliver a cheque for nearly $10,000 to a School for Disabled Children in the affected region. The money will be used to pay for two leukaemia-suffering children to travel to the UK for lifesaving treatment.”

The two children in question are Aidos, an energetic 12 year-old boy with acute lymphological leukaemia and Dilyara, a 12 year-old girl with acute mielogenous leukaemia. Both will need specialist treatment in order to battle their diseases and give them a chance to see adulthood.

“The meeting with Aidos and Dilyara was incredibly moving as they regained hope that someone can save them,” said Ben. “After the formalities and presentation of the cheque, we spent time arm-wrestling with Aidos and posing for pictures with Dilyara.

“However, the sobering reality that the Kazakh children desperately need lifesaving treatment was inescapable. We will now focus on raising funds to pay for the necessary treatment and although it will be a difficult task, the children and their families still have a glimmer of hope, which is often so important for any cancer sufferers, in County Down, Kazakhstan or anywhere else around the globe.

“My experience in Kazakhstan was unforgettable and life-changing. When I left County Down to start working at the European Parliament, I had no idea what was in store for me. Now, I hope that I can do something to help Aidos and Dilyara so that one day they too may have an opportunity to experience something unforgettable and life-changing as I did.”

Since moving to Brussels, Ben has worked extensively on issues surrounding environmental conflict in Central Asia. Studying physical geography, before achieving a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies, he is now helping to write a book entitled Stalin’s Legacy: How the Soviet Union Waged War on Nature.

For more information on the Jambul Foundation, which is working at the School for Disabled Children in Kazakhstan, visit http://

eng.jambyl-foundation.kz/. For specific queries on helping the two children email ben.acheson@europarl.europa.eu.