Mokpo National University Conducts Volunteer Activities for Children and Disabled People in the Philippines

Received a Meaningful Certificate of Appreciation for 13 Days of Overseas Volunteer Work

Promise to Maintain Continuous Cooperation for Child Health Development and Independence

National Mokpo University (President Song Ha-cheol) announced on the 5th that it has returned home after completing overseas volunteer activities for children and people with disabilities held in Makati City, Philippines, from the 17th to the 31st of last month.

The National Mokpo University Overseas Volunteer Group, consisting of 20 students and faculty members, visited the Villani Foundation, a child protection facility in Makati City, Philippines, and provided customized education and activity programs tailored to the institution and its beneficiaries.

Students of the Villani Foundation, a child protection facility in Makati City, Philippines, are experiencing wearing traditional Korean hanbok during a holiday event.
[Photo by Mokpo National University]

In particular, the holiday experience, which showed the highest satisfaction, was conducted in a diverse manner, including wearing Hanbok, bowing, playing traditional holiday games, and sharing food from Korea. The volunteer students also shared rice cake soup (Tteokguk) they cooked themselves for lunch.

All 54 Hanboks used that day were donated by the local community, and after the program ended, they were re-donated to the institution to support the children's activities.

Alin Fernandez, Secretary General of the Villani Foundation, said, "Since 2010, it has been a long time since Korean volunteers visited our institution, so there was great joy and high expectations from the children," adding, "The students from National Mokpo University showed sincerity beyond our expectations, and we were deeply moved by their excellent attitude. Thank you for bringing smiles back to our children."

They also expressed a desire to maintain a continuous cooperative system with National Mokpo University for the healthy development and independence of the children, and as a token of this promise, presented certificates of appreciation to all members of the National Mokpo University volunteer group.

The Overseas Volunteer Group of Mokpo National University is receiving a certificate of appreciation and taking a commemorative photo.
[Photo by Mokpo National University]

The National Mokpo University Overseas Volunteer Group conducted a total of 26 diverse volunteer activities, including 11 sessions of Korean language education and Korean culture understanding, 11 sessions of psychological and emotional support (art therapy, food therapy), 2 sessions of cultural exchange (holiday experience, picnic), and 2 sessions of voluntary labor (repairing old fences and facilities).

Park Kyung-seop, Director of the Social Service Center at National Mokpo University, stated, "Our university students will grow step by step through overseas volunteer work to become global leaders. The Social Service Center will continue to expand its activities by focusing on overseas volunteer activities and ODA projects."

Meanwhile, National Mokpo University was selected last October for the university’s own overseas volunteer program contest conducted by the Korea University Social Service Council (Chairman Jeon Seong-yong), which led to this overseas volunteer activity. The 2023 winter overseas volunteer group will officially conclude its activities with a closing ceremony on the 23rd.

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