Belarussian Orphanage Project

Love . Dignity . Integrity . Respect

Bopfootsoldiers is a branch of B.O.P. made up primarily of volunteers who assist us with our fundraising and project awareness on the ground in Ireland and abroad.

Many of these volunteers have traveled and worked with us in Minsk and many are friends and family of volunteers.

These footsoldiers are the backbone of our organisation and without them and their sponsorship, we would not have completed many of the projects which we have undertaken in Minsk.

Bopfootsoldiers are dynamic and hardworking and we continually ‘recruit’ new members to join this team.

(The term footsoldiers originated from the phrase.. New Red Army.. Which BOP volunteers have been called in Minsk owing to the colour of our uniform).

Assisting Bop is always an enjoyable experience as we believe that fundraising and public awareness should not be a dull or difficult task. We only organise fundraisers that reflect the fun quality of our charity and our team are always game for a laugh.

Each year you will witness the many BOP footsoldiers who participate in the Annual Cork City Marathon (held every May) and Cork City Mini-Marathon (Held every September) which is an enjoyable run (but in most cases a walk and sometimes a crawl) followed by a barbecue at the BOP office which raises funds for the wages of our staff in Belarus. We issue special sponsorship cards and the event is open to anyone of any age… Some of the photographs on this and on subsequent pages show how many people approached the event and as it is a ladies event, our male volunteers went to extra lengths to look the part. If you would like to participate on your own or with a group of friends, then please contact us and we will issue you with your fundraising cards and T-shirts. (Email; bop1@eircom.net)

A number of footsoldiers have also participated in the Dublin Ladies Mini-Marathon and each year we anticipate some entrants in the grueling Dublin City Marathon and other triathlons throughout Ireland.

Or the many one day Golf Classics held in both Cork and Kerry which raise substantial funds for some of our major projects.. Indeed our medical programme received a substantial boost when a team of golfers from Galway played a round of golf in 4 different countries in a one day period!

Concerts, Gigs, Raffles. Table Quizzes and Fashion Shows, all featuring Bopfootsoldiers, raise much needed funds annually.

BOP does not receive funding from any government body and is completely reliant upon donations and funds contributed by sponsors. We are proud of our low administration costs as our office ‘staff’ are also volunteers.

Over the past few years there have been independent volunteer groups formed to undertake particular programmes. The most successful of these has to be our Knitting Groups where up to 50 mature women and school children (from 8 years to 12 years old) in Cork City and County get together regularly to knit Blankets, Booties and soft toys which we then transport to Minsk.

We also occasionally gather Humanitarian Aid, but as we purchase almost all of the goods we need in Minsk, we only gather a specific list of items which are requested by the various Administrations and Directors and which do not incur taxes upon entry to Belarus. We do not organise convoys to transport goods, but Volunteers carry the aid as part of their luggage allowance. Help is occasionally required to pack the Humanitarian Aid Bags at the warehouse.

We are also seeking Laptops (Notebooks) or portable dvd players!!

If you have any of the above which you would like to donate then we would be delighted to accept and repair damaged or broken ones and take them to minsk for use by our residents. Email us at bop1@eircom.net and we will arrange delivery or collection

 

Packing Bags at Supermarkets, Street Collections and Sponsored Walks and Swims all help us to realise our targets each year.

Each year we also ask our footsoldiers to take and fill a personal collection tins/piggies with the loose change they have at home.. Our footsoldiers team then count all of the coins and another project can be funded as a result of all those discarded one, two and five cent coins.

 

 

We appreciate all the assistance we receive and in many cases people contact us with the proposal of organising their own fundraiser on our behalf. In these cases, whether it be in a village hall or school, we try to send a BOP representative to assist with the event.

We also have a very extensive Photographic Exhibition with Signs, Books and Belarussian Memorabilia which together give a clear picture of BOP, our work and of those in our care.

If you would like to assist us then go to ;

 www.facebook.com/belarussianorphanageproject

and you will have access to all of the latest photographs, reports and upcoming events within the Charity.

If you are in other parts of the country or indeed the planet, we will endeavor to facilitate you with the promotional goods you require for your event..

We also encourage potential sponsors to choose a particular project to raise funds for.. These projects can be found throughout this website but a more detailed WISHLIST is available by emailing us your address to bop1@eircom.net.

 

We post notification of forthcoming fundraisers and on our facebook page at;

www.facebook.com/belarussianorphanageproject

An information forum where  everyone can be updated on all BOP events both here and in Belarus

 

If you would like to donate any amount to our Bank account directly, details are listed at the end of each page of this site..

 

 

Cheques made out to Belarussian Orphanage Project can be sent to; B.O.P. , 3a Rope walk, Convent Avenue, Blackrock, Cork City, Ireland. All donations will be receipted. Thank you in advance!