TT Sejong participates in volunteer activities

From August 11 to August 17, 2012, the Vietnam-Korea Friendship Association of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (VNU) cooperated with Korean charity organizations to participate in volunteer activities in Thanh Hoa, Vietnam.The volunteer group consisted of 50 people from 4 organizations. The Korean side had the Dream Realizers group from Gumi Province, the Maha Council for Supporting Migrants and the Soonchunhyang Hospital in Gumi Province. The Vietnamese side had 9 interpreters, including 2 students from Hanoi University and 7 from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (including 4 students and 1 staff member from the Sejong Korean Language Center in Hanoi, and 2 full-time students). The group's activities included 3 groups: The Dream Realizers group from Gumi Province, led by Master Chin O, ran a 108 km marathon in Thanh Hoa to raise funds for charity to help build toilets for schools without toilets. Previously, in January 2012, the group ran 500 km in Vietnam (from Thai Nguyen to Thanh Hoa) to raise funds for charity. On the marathon route (mainly through poor districts of Thai Nguyen and Thanh Hoa provinces), the monk and the delegation visited schools. If the toilets were found to be in poor condition, the delegation planned to support 100% of the money to rebuild the toilets. Currently, 108 toilets are being built in Thanh Hoa. The Immigrant Support Council is the program organizer, with a group of volunteers painting the toilets that had been built in 3 primary schools in 3 communes of Hoang Hoa, Trieu Son, and Ba Thuoc districts. Soonchunhyang Hospital has nurses and doctors to examine and treat patients and give out free medicine, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes to poor households in the above areas. In addition, the delegation also visited the Thanh Hoa Province Blind Association, gave out medicine and supported computers and printers for the Association. On the way back to Hanoi, the delegation visited Huong Tich Pagoda, met the abbot, and donated 1 million Won to the pagoda along with a rice cooker and medicine. This is a very useful and practical activity that contributes to strengthening the friendship between the people of Korea and Vietnam.