Korean volunteers

Global Peace Foundation-Korea and Korea Volunteer Corps came together to deliver warmth to their extended family.  Winter in Korea this year, like for many other nations, has been harsh. Most homes in Korea are equipped with gas or oil heaters, but there are still homes like those in Yangcheon-gu Shinwol-dong, that can only afford to heat their homes with coal. Prolonged frigid temperatures and rising costs of coal have made it difficult for many to stay warm.

Volunteers ranging from elementary school students to grandmothers distributed over 3000 coal cylinders.  The weather was below zero Celsius, but the GPF stayed warm distributing coal briquettes to the neighbors in Yangcheon-gu.  The volunteers also shared New Year’s well wishes.

One volunteer, a North Korean refugee, reflected, “North Korea is much colder than South Korea. I hope Korea is reunified as soon as possible so that we can deliver charcoals to the North Korean people.”

Her longing for Korean reunification is a reminder of the pain caused by man-made divisions.  Despite ideologies, religions, ethnicities and nationalities, we are all family. Just as we care for our immediate families, we should care for all of humanity.