Gwanak-gu, 2023. Practicing Neighborly Love with Warm Winter Hope Ondol

[Seoul District News] Gwanak-gu Promotes Fundraising Activities with Public-Private Cooperation until February 14 Next Year & Encourages Voluntary Participation from Residents, Religious Facilities, and Businesses to Spread Donation Culture for Neighbors in Need ... ‘Gwangjin-gu-KT Estate-Lotte Construction Improve Housing Conditions for Vulnerable Groups ... Seodaemun-gu Supports Clothing Repair Education 'Real Lyrics~ Needle Composition~' for Disabled Independence; Disabled Receive Sewing Machine Use, Accessory Making, and Reform Practice Education and Participate in Fashion Show

Park Jun-hee, District Mayor, taking a commemorative photo at the donation ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) is promoting the ‘2023 Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign’ together with the Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest until February 14 next year to help neighbors in need spend a warm winter.

The ‘Hope Ondol Warm Winter Campaign’ is a public-private partnership project focused on raising private funds through a set period for donations and goods collection, aiming to support neighbors in difficult circumstances so they can have a warm winter by discovering private resources.

During this period, the district actively seeks out marginalized groups in welfare blind spots and, together with the local community centers, provides various sharing and assistance such as rice distribution, kimchi-making support, and winter supplies to ensure that helping hands reach those in need directly.

On December 7, a ‘Love Donation Box’ will be installed in the first-floor lobby of the district office to encourage voluntary donations and interest from local residents, organizations, and companies, reflecting the willingness of Gwanak-gu employees to participate in giving.

Last year, a total of about 2.12 billion KRW in donations and goods were collected and used to support living expenses, medical costs, housing, and school fees for elderly living alone, low-income families, and single-parent families in the area.

In October, Geuneunhye Church (Senior Pastor Lee Gyu-ho), located in Nakseongdae-dong, Gwanak-gu, donated winter padding jackets and thermal socks worth about 38 million KRW to 97 elderly people collecting waste paper on the streets during winter. (Photo)

Additionally, during this difficult time of high prices, they shared 10,000 kilograms of rice as ‘Love Rice Sharing’ and delivered handwritten letters filled with warm hearts from children with their small hands.

Furthermore, the district conducted welfare consultations for elderly waste paper collectors to identify their welfare needs and confirm available support services to ensure no elderly person is left isolated during winter.

Residents, companies, and organizations wishing to participate in the Hope Ondol Warm Winter project can inquire at the Welfare Policy Division or local community centers. Donations can be made by transferring funds to the official Gwanak-gu account and submitting a cash donation receipt to the Welfare Policy Division or local community centers.

A district official said, “Although this is a difficult time for everyone due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and flood damage, we hope that local residents, companies, and organizations will participate together to create a warm Gwanak where no one is left out.”

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is launching a full-scale housing environment improvement project for low-income vulnerable groups in connection with corporate social responsibility activities.

On October 17, the district signed a public-private partnership agreement for the ‘Gwangjin-gu - KT Estate - Lotte Construction Vulnerable Group Housing Environment Improvement Project’ (photo) to provide clean and safe living spaces for vulnerable residents and began selecting target households for implementation.

Through this agreement, Gwangjin-gu, KT Estate, and Lotte Construction will support 15 low-income vulnerable households with wallpapering, flooring, painting work, replacement of wiring and lighting, and lock repairs.

The first project started on the 14th at a grandparent-grandchild household where a grandmother is raising her elementary school granddaughter alone.

District officials and KT Estate employees worked hard moving furniture and belongings, removing moldy walls and old flooring to replace wallpaper and flooring. They replaced old electrical outlets that posed safety risks and installed LED lighting, transforming the home into a safe and comfortable haven.

The grandmother expressed her gratitude, saying, “During this summer’s heavy rains, water entered the house causing mold problems, which was very difficult. I am truly happy that my granddaughter can now live in a comfortable place thanks to this help.”

The project targets recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security, near-poverty groups, single-parent families, and case management subjects in housing welfare blind spots, selected based on income and housing conditions recommended by local community centers.

In particular, customized environmental improvements are carried out for each household according to resident needs through surveys and site visits to increase satisfaction.

In November, the district supported six households including National Basic Livelihood Security recipients and single-parent families with poor housing conditions, and plans to support nine households in 2023.

Mayor Kim Kyung-ho of Gwangjin-gu said, “The housing environment improvement project for low-income vulnerable groups is a project that provides practical help to residents in cooperation with companies. We will continue to discover various social contribution programs involving public and private sectors to further promote a culture of sharing.”

Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Lee Seong-heon) announced on the 29th that it has supported the clothing repair program ‘Sil Jaksa~ Baneul Jakgok’ from May to this month to help people with disabilities establish an economic independence foundation.

The Seodaemun Sunshine Disabled Independent Living Center (Director Oh Moon-young) selected six disabled individuals interested in clothing repair and provided sewing machine use, accessory making, and reform practice education at local workshops over about seven months.

The participants repaired clothes that were difficult to wear due to physical disabilities or outdated fashion and made accessories such as cushions and bags needed when using wheelchairs.

On the 23rd of this month, an exhibition and fashion show were held at Sinchon Parang Whale using these works.

The participants wore the clothes they made and took the stage themselves, sharing the background of their work and their participation impressions with the audience through presentations.

The district plans to support an advanced clothing repair skills course for people with disabilities next year to enable full-scale product sales.

Mayor Lee Seong-heon said, “We will actively support projects for the economic independence and social participation of people with disabilities, such as ‘Sil Jaksa~ Baneul Jakgok,’ which is part of Seodaemun-gu’s support projects for disability welfare organizations.”

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