"Neighbourly Neighborly," and other work for orphans in Jeonju.

The Korea Herald has an article today about Jeonju's "Neighbourly Neighborly," a group of Koreans and expats volunteering to help orphans in the area.

As Korea celebrated Children’s Day last week and Parent’s Day over the weekend, there were many children who did not have the presents and love that they crave and deserve.

With the help of some expat and Korean volunteers, hope is on the way in Jeonju.

Recently a new group has started with the aim of arranging regular visits to local orphanages. “Neighbourly, Neighborly,” is, as the title alludes to, a group composed of both expats and Koreans.

The idea behind the name is that it, along with the Korean version, highlights the different people involved, namely the Commonwealth folks and the Americans.

. . .

The idea is to arrange for groups of volunteers to go to one orphanage per month. While this may seem like few visits per orphanage per year it is essential that the group remain viable and endure the inevitable turnover of members.

Heading over to the city's top blog, The Jeonju Hub, to look for more information, I saw an article atop the page that begins:

Seven-year-old Esther Park was left in the care of Holt orphanage (전주영아원 in JungWhaSanDong) as an infant. She was born with the tragic defect of an Imperforate Anus. No one has seen or heard [from] her mother since she arrived at Holt seven years ago. When a little team of Jeonju teachers went into Holt to play with the kids for a couple of hours this Saturday, Esther was not there. She’s in hospital again due to intestinal complications.

She's 92.5 centimeters tall and weighs 11.6 kilograms.

The article continues to talk about a local teacher participating in a marathon this coming weekend to raise funds for her care. Read the rest of the "Walk for Esther" post for more details. There's a write-up in the 국민일보 today about 65-year-old Terry Lyons, the man walking in the Gunsan Saemangeum International Marathon on May 16th. As The Jeonju Hub explains,

An injury prevents him from running it . . . The marathon organizers have graciously agreed to keep the finish line open an extra hour just for this occasion.

The blog, as well as the newspaper article, provides donation information:

A bank account has been set up for those who prefer to wire money. It is at the Jeonbuk Bank, SamCheonDong branch. Account name: "Terry Lyons-Orphan Park Esther" 524-21-0630599.