Gwangju Nam-gu Selected for Ministry of Gender Equality and Family's 'Care Community Support Project'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, the only autonomous district in the Gwangju area selected for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s ‘Care Community Support Project’ contest, will promote various projects this year to establish a local care community system.

According to Nam-gu on the 9th, a project briefing session was held on the morning of the 8th at the Nam-gu Healthy Family and Multicultural Family Support Center in Juwol-dong regarding the selection for the ‘2022 Care Community Support Project.’

The briefing was attended by representatives from five care groups, including the Nam-gu Residents’ Council, which operates detailed care community projects in each village, the Sip-si-il-ban Nanum Village School, Eco City Small Library, Nolja-jo, and Uri Gguldanji, as well as the Nam-gu Healthy Family and Multicultural Support Center, which serves as the control tower for this project.

Nam-gu plans to invest 75 million KRW this year to promote a project where children are raised in the village and the care community grows together through the village.

The briefing marked the starting point of the Care Community Support Project, discussing detailed care programs for each village, which are scheduled to be held about twice a week for children aged 0 to 12 years.

First, the Nam-gu Residents’ Council, composed of parents who experienced career breaks in the Hyochon 2 District, plans to conduct activities such as father-child trips, history education, and joint play. They have maintained steady activities for three years to spread a culture of care since forming a parent reading group at Hyochon Elementary School in 2019.

The Sip-si-il-ban Nanum Village School, based in Bongseon-dong, is a care community actively engaged through discovering local resources such as village grandfathers volunteering for care and Inaebok Welfare Center. They plan to offer healthy food handmade by mothers, as well as play programs including yoga and musical jump rope.

Eco City Small Library, starting its first care community this year based in Hyochon 2 District, plans to provide child care through various experiential activities and learning, such as reading books at the library after school, university student supporters for elementary school students’ study guidance, and barley bread making.

The Nolja-jo care community, based at the Bangjetgol Toy Library in Bangnim-dong, plans to operate programs such as neighborhood trash collection with children, weekend camping with fathers, and bakery making. Uri Gguldanji, a daycare parent group, intends to offer various programs on Fridays and Saturdays using nearby spaces such as the Humansia playground in Bangnim-dong and the Gwangju Stream, including bicycle riding, library usage, forest experiences, and sex education.

A Nam-gu official stated, “Having been selected for the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family contest for three consecutive years from 2020 to this year, we are fully committed to completing the ‘Nam-gu type care model’ that supplements the limitations of public care and takes responsibility for gap care,” adding, “We will create a care community where our children and the village grow together.”

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