237 Run
On July 5, 2025, EcoSave and other volunteers ran across the Banpodaegyo in Seoul to commemorate the estimated 237 million children without legal identity (birth certificates) as of today. Legal identity is a basic foundation for accessing many services—educational opportunities, health care, citizenship protections—and without proper documentation, millions have no access to what many people take for granted.
Participants were given a name tag. Not just any name tag, but the name of an actual child identified by OpenHands as a person without a birth certificate. Their age, sex, village, country—all printed on a name tag for participants to run with in hopes of carrying their story for the duration of the run. In official government perception, these children do not exist; this is a way to carry them for the moment.
The run had a lot of energy and a lot of introspection. Volunteers cheered each other on as they crossed the bridge, and at the same time, there was a heaviness of gratitude for those who would be unable to cross a bridge themselves in such a way to avoid such discrimination. Many runners afterward conveyed that it was a good type of hard because it resembled how much harder those children have it every day trying to get ahead without even being recognized from the start.
In addition, EcoSave sponsored a fundraiser. Each water bottle provided came with a QR code that linked to information about children without legal identity and stories of success for what would be otherwise written off as hopeless causes. Participants and onlookers alike scanned the link to learn more and were encouraged to donate whatever they could for programs seeking to give these children access to such identities.
This year's 237 Run was not only part two from last year but also part two of EcoSave's ongoing call for awareness of what exists in society and remains overshadowed. By combining the simple act of running with increased education and awareness for a small community, it enables people to become aware that international injustices exist even in small pockets.
The run closed with a small gathering where volunteers expressed their sentiments about the opportunity. Many participants expressed their hopes that this would go viral somehow—either awareness through social media or charity efforts here and there—because many didn't even recognize how privilege it is to have a legal identity/citizenship recognition until they couldn't seem to connect to any logic that deprived them from doing so.
The 237 Run reminds us that all children deserve the right to be seen.
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