KOICA Supports Vulnerable Groups in Daegu and Gyeongbuk Regions... Partners with Civic Organizations

Emergency Kit Support, Psychological Counseling, Side Dish Delivery, and Health Checkups for Vulnerable Groups Including Families with Disabled Children

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA announced on the 14th that it will join hands with civil society partners to carry out various support activities in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions for vulnerable groups in Korea who are going through difficult times due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

This activity will be conducted together with civil society partners in various fields such as healthcare and education, who carry out international development cooperation projects with KOICA in developing countries by utilizing the KOICA network.

On the same day, KOICA, in collaboration with the Milal Welfare Foundation, will provide ‘Cheer Up Kits’ consisting of masks and other quarantine supplies as well as immune-boosting health foods to about 500 households of children with disabilities and vulnerable groups in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions. The Milal Welfare Foundation is a partner organization working with KOICA on disability support projects in the Philippines, Nepal, Kenya, and other countries.

In addition, the international relief and development NGO Plan Korea will produce emergency relief kits containing hygiene products and daily necessities centered on regional children’s centers in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, and deliver them to about 418 households in need, while also providing emergency living expenses and psychological treatment.

Furthermore, KOICA will work with Global Care, an organization specialized in the health sector that is conducting tuberculosis management capacity-building projects in Morocco, to deliver emergency relief supplies and side dishes contactlessly to about 600 vulnerable households in the Daegu area, while also conducting health status checks.

KOICA plans to contribute to livelihood stabilization policies for domestic small business owners by collaborating with social enterprises, startups, and others in response to COVID-19. It also plans to expand the support targets and regions depending on the future spread of COVID-19.

Jung Hyung-seok, Executive Director of the Milal Welfare Foundation participating in this relief project, said, “With the prolonged COVID-19 situation, the closure of welfare facilities has been extended, making life even more difficult for vulnerable groups. Therefore, we will support vulnerable groups in welfare blind spots to overcome COVID-19 as soon as possible.”

Lee Mi-kyung, Chairperson, said, “I think it is meaningful to realize social value together domestically with international development cooperation partners,” and added, “As Korea’s representative development cooperation agency and a public institution, KOICA will take the lead in advancing Korean society into a more inclusive, united, and encouraging society.”

Meanwhile, KOICA donated 20 million won in employee donations, masks, hand sanitizers, and other supplies to the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions in March. It is currently opening its own training center as a temporary living facility for vulnerable COVID-19 self-quarantined individuals and overseas Korean returnees in Seongnam City.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.