Money Matters at Sungbin Orphanage
Over the last few years Sungbin orphanage has been the beneficiary of a number of fundraising events organized and generously supported by the ex-pat community in Gwangju. With the imaginary thermometer rising in representation of the money raised, people who have generously put their hands in their pockets may be curious to know why the events keep coming and where exactly their money is going.
With the bake sale looming and more events to follow throughout 2013, a cynic could query how much more these girls need. Understandably people want to know that their money is going to a good cause, and that the cause is getting the most value for the KRW it can.
At Sungbin the cause explains itself – the potential to offer a parent-less child a little dose of happiness is one that many have openly jumped at the chance of. More importantly, it is about providing a future through funding the girls’ education. When they turn 18 – when the orphanage can no longer provide a roof over their heads – this is a time when these young adults will need extra support.
In a country where a university degree is as standard on a resume as a job applicant’s name, many of these girls will grow to become adults with the odds stacked against them. They may find themselves in careers you wouldn’t wish upon your enemies.
Though university education may be out the question, the possibility of going to technical college and learning practical work-orientated skills is not. Providing support for accommodation is also a possibility, and in fact, three girls have been allowed to rent accommodation for one year in the past largely thanks to the goodwill of the Gwangju community. For two, the fixed address was a priceless part in securing decent work, for the other it opened a chance for university education.
Although the orphanage delivers a great home for its 70 plus young residents, there are times when they can’t give all the care they want to. When girls have been due to miss out on school trips, outside funding has been provided. When the orphanage discovered asbestos in some of its walls, funding detoxified it. When the chance of a cross-cultural trip to America was available, funding booked a ticket.
Funding has also helped move girls on to group homes. As much as living with 70 sisters can be a blast, an age will come where a little normality is naturally desirable. A group home, with just six or seven Sungbin residents living in it, provides a much more natural living environment. Funding provides amenities to make living there more attainable.
Funding goals are not all as ambitious, many are slightly lower key, though potentially just as valuable. Short term education goals have also benefited from the community’s support. The loyal group of foreign Saturday volunteers, who show up weekly to give free English lessons and have a little fun, have been hugely aided by the availability of funds. Text books, crayons, scissors, glue and a cupboard full of resources create a buzz when lessons come around. The classroom, once a dark attic only fit for collecting dust, is now a bright education center fit for the grandest of hogwons.
While funding achievements have been outstanding, the generosity of the community – simply extraordinary, the goals of providing financial support so that every single girl can receive adult education and financial support when turning 18 remain out of reach for the perceivable future . Despite that, with eternal gratitude to financial supporters, opportunities will be there to help some of the girls, which in itself is a huge achievement.
Chances are that when all the goals are reached, many donators will have moved on to pastures new, a truth that brings a tinge of sadness. However, people reaching into their pockets should rest assured that their generosity has already been responsible for so much and offers the prospect that one day young ladies who have largely missed out may have the chances to carve out futures for themselves, and for that reason alone supporters deserve an enormous thank you.
If you want to help create brighter futures there a number of ways:
- Attend the Christmas Book and Bake Sale at the First Alleyway, December 8th from 12:00 – 5:00p.m.
- Support Adopt a Child for Christmas (also benefiting MDream’s children).
- Join the Saturday volunteers, meeting every Saturday outside downtown’s Starbucks at 1:00 p.m.
- Or contact Dan Lister at daniellister7@hotmail.com.