KKOOM prides itself on being able to give children who live in Korean orphanages access to new experiences and opportunities they might not otherwise have. One way we do this is by providing financial support to volunteers who have projects, programs, and ideas that will directly benefit Korean orphans and at-risk youth.
Jee Lee is a full-time volunteer and missionary at Myeong Jin Children’s Home in Seoul, South Korea. Before living in Korea since 2008, she was a third grade teacher in Northern Virginia. For the past nine years, she has served at the home full time.
KKOOM provided Jee with approximately $170 USD to take two girls from the orphanage home to Okinawa, Japan for a cultural immersion trip. The girls were able to pay for their own flight tickets and housing and transportation were covered by one of Jee’s friends who is stationed at the US military base in Okinawa.
The funds from KKOOM helped cover their food and activity costs. Their travels from May 24th to June 1st were filled with a variety of activities, from snorkeling, water hiking, ice cream- making, sightseeing, and visiting an aquarium.
When Jee shared her experiences with KKOOM, she said “The girls loved every moment of our trips. They realized that although we might be in Japan, we were able to get by by speaking in English. They came back with more enthusiasm in learning English.”
This overseas cultural trip allowed the girls to see a different world than what they currently experience living at an orphanage home in Seoul. Jee and KKOOM hope this opportunity gives them the desire to study harder and they strive for a better quality of life. Jee comments, “This experience will give them to see the world is so much greater than their daily lives at the children’s home. Thank you KKOOM for always supporting and cheering for the orphans in Korea!”