Every Orphan: One Expat Org’s Amazing Christmas Mission
Conversations about orphans tend to evoke images of an “Oliver Twist”-like scenario, complete with raggedy figures roaming the streets. Thankfully, this is not the case for the orphans of Gwangju. Indeed, the residents of the Gwangju’s nine institutions have roofs over their heads, food in their bellies and access to education. However, from there the rosy picture begins to turn a rather ugly shade of gray, as the reality of Korean children in care is arguably more complicated and less promising than in many other developed nations.
Currently, there are over 18,000 children in institutions, primarily orphanages, all over Korea. They end up in these institutions for a variety of reasons, but the majority are not “true” orphans, i.e. children without living parents. Last year, just over 6,000 children entered institutions in Korea, 200 of them in Gwangju. Based on numbers gathered by Courtney Snyder, just over 2,200 of these children entered the system as a result of divorce. Almost 2,000 were taken to institutions by parents who did not have the financial wherewithal to support them. Over 1,500 were born to unwed parents and nearly 300 were abandoned.
Strong social and systemic stigma against unwed parents leads most single mothers to give up their children, often due to family pressure. Coupled with the reality that divorced parents often find it impossible to re-marry with children from a previous marriage, and the fact that institutions will take children that cannot be financially supported by their parents, it quickly becomes apparent why these institutions receive so many children each year.
Sadly, the chance of these kids finding homes is not only low but dropping. The Special Adoption Law has restricted the number of children that can be international adoptions in order to encourage domestic adoption. However, continued emphasis on bloodlines and traditional stigma against adoption has held domestic adoption numbers down. Combined with the reduced number of allowable international adoptions, these social barriers have resulted in a lower cumulative number of children finding permanent homes. Of more than 6,000 children who entered the national system last year, less than a quarter will be adopted.
Such daunting odds make it that much more important that these children be shown love and support while living in these institutions. Enter: Adopt a Child for Christmas (ACC). The program is the brainchild of Al Barnum, who began it to benefit Sungbin Orphanage in 2010. That first year, over 200 gifts were collected for 50 girls. The program expanded each year, to the point that 450 gifts were distributed in 2013. As the 2013 organizer Jordan VanHartingsveldt said at a recent GIC talk, “people trust the program,” and as the word has spread, support has grown.
This year ACC is co-organized by Calen Cygan and Choi Sunjin. During an interview with Gwangju News, Cygan explained that she first got involved by sponsoring presents for two girls, and has been involved as a volunteer ever since. Although she was not planning on becoming a primary organizer, Cygan was happy to step into the breach when previous organizers were no longer able to carry the program forward. Cygan was drawn to the program because, as she said, “I love to see the members of our community coming together and having fun while simultaneously raising money for something wonderful.”
The ACC’s goal for this year is to supply presents to 700 orphans in ten orphanages across Gwangju. This ambitious goal will see every child in every orphanage in Gwangju receive a gift, with the exception of infants and graduates. In an effort to obtain 700 gifts, the organizers have opted to streamline the program by shifting to a cash-only drive, rather than having donors purchase gifts directly. Cygan hopes that ACC will ultimately sponsor every child, including infants and graduates.
ACC’s greatest challenge for this year’s event is the lower number of volunteers compared to previous years. Choi explained that many Koreans are interested in the program, but due to the high incidence of fraud and corruption in unregistered organizations, they are reluctant to get involved. With long-term stability in mind, Choi plans to register the ACC with the government as a non-government organization (NGO). She hopes that “with a formalized, ongoing group in Gwangju, people will be comfortable joining – not only foreigners but many more Koreans!”
However, that solution will not be implemented this year, so readers interested in getting involved should consider sponsoring a child, volunteering their time wrapping presents or playing the part of Santa. ACC has a Facebook page with more information. As Cygan notes, “it’s completely priceless to see the look of happiness on these children’s faces when they get a new coat or a hat and gloves.”