237 Run 2026

 

 237 Run 2026

written by Shinwoo (William) Kim

On June 28th, 2026, the 237 Run took place along the Namsan Mountain Trail, bringing together EcoSave members and volunteers for a morning of movement with meaning. The run was held to commemorate the estimated 237 million children under the age of five who have not obtained legal proof of identity through birth registration, a number so large it's easy to lose sight of the individual lives behind it, but one that becomes a little more real with every step taken in their name.

A birth certificate might seem like a small piece of paper, but for millions of children, its absence closes doors before they ever have the chance to open them. Without one, a child may be turned away from school, denied medical treatment even in emergencies, unable to get a job, and unable to open a bank account. In some of the most difficult cases, they may even struggle to prove that they exist at all.  That contradiction was at the heart of why we chose running as our way of raising awareness. Running feels like something anyone can do through willpower, but that isn't quite true. If you're injured or sick, no amount of determination lets you push through. Your body needs support from something outside of your own will. Birth registration works the same way. Children can't register their own births; they depend entirely on the adults and the systems around them to make that first, foundational right possible. Every runner who laced up their shoes on Namsan that day was asked to hold that thought for the length of the trail and to let it become part of why they were running.

This year's 237 Run was led by OpenHands' summer interns, Shinwoo William Kim and YunKi Daniel Hong. Before running, we spent time reflecting on what we had learned throughout our internship and used those lessons to shape how the run itself would come together. We planned the route along Namsan to the way we wanted participants to experience the day. Planning the process became its own reminder of why events like this matter. Awareness has to be built deliberately, the same way a birth registration system has to be built deliberately for every child to be counted.

Once the run was over, the day continued with a fundraiser that had grown noticeably from the year before. Tables were filled with EcoSave bags, bracelets, and EcoSave-designed board games, alongside water bottles and this year's addition, 237 Run arm sleeves. Thanks to the wider range of goods and the enthusiasm of everyone who came out, we raised more money than we did last year. Every dollar raised was donated back to the EcoSave-sponsored daycare center in Tanza1, along with other charities working toward the same cause: giving every child, regardless of where they're born, the chance to be seen, counted, and protected.

The 237 Run is, at its core, a reminder that awareness alone doesn't change anything. It's what people choose to do with that awareness that does. Every runner on the trail, every item sold at the fundraiser, and every money donated afterward is a small act of the same kind of support that birth registration itself depends on. As EcoSave continues to grow this event year after year, the goal remains simple: to make sure that the 237 million children this run represents are never left running alone.

Ecosave Philippines Outreach December 2025

written by Shinwoo (William) Kim

This week Ecosave members finished the year with our third outreach trip to the Philippines. The schedule was very packed, but it became a meaningful and fulfilling outreach trip that was able to provide a lot of help to the Philippines.

Similar to our last trip, we headed to Creek Village as soon as we arrived. We recognized several familiar faces from before and greeted one another warmly. We installed additional solar-powered lights in the alleyways and streets so that both children and adults could walk around and gather more safely at night. In total, five new solar-powered lights were installed in addition to those from our previous visit.

We then held a plogging activity, pairing one Ecosave member with about seven children from the village. After dividing the village into sections, we worked together to collect trash that had been visibly littered throughout the area. The children were active and enthusiastic during the activity, and many expressed pride in helping clean their community. After the plogging event, we distributed small gifts to the participating children. Each Ecosave eco-bag included dolls and snacks brought from Korea, which the children enjoyed greatly.

The following morning, we visited Tanza 1, where the Little Hands Daycare Center is located. To begin the day, our members taught the children popular Pororo songs, which quickly captured their attention and encouraged active participation. Afterward, we divided into smaller groups and worked closely with the children on simple puzzles, origami, and other art-based activities designed to match the developmental level of three- to five-year-olds.

 We brought approximately twenty puzzle sets, which were used during the activities and later donated to the daycare center so that similar learning experiences could continue even after our visit. To conclude the day, we shared a meal together, handing out Jollibee lunches and sitting alongside the children as we ate. This time allowed us to connect more personally, strengthening our bond through conversation and shared moments.

Lastly, we traveled to Cavite City, one of Manila’s largest seaside slum communities. There, we spent time with families living in tightly packed stilt houses built along the coast and over the sea. The surrounding waters were heavily polluted with trash, and access to clean water, medical care, electricity, and reliable nutrition was extremely limited. Moving from house to house, we installed solar-powered lights indoors and worked to place solar panels on rooftops, providing families with a stable source of electricity. When the lights were switched on, the homes were filled with laughter as families gathered together, visibly moved by the change.

As the sun set and dinnertime approached, Ecosave members prepared Tteokbokki to share with the community. We made bulgogi tteokbokki, a milder version chosen to suit local tastes. Despite a power outage that occurred at the same time, we continued cooking in the darkness, preparing large portions so that everyone in the village could share a meal. Through this moment, we shared not only food but also a part of our culture. The residents welcomed it warmly, expressing genuine enjoyment and gratitude, and the shared meal became a meaningful moment of connection that transcended language and circumstance.

Through environmental efforts, educational activities, and sustainable energy projects, we were able to support local residents in practical and lasting ways. As we ended the year with this third trip to the Philippines, we returned home with a stronger sense of responsibility and gratitude, inspired to continue our efforts toward making a positive ripple through the world.

EcoSave-produced Documentary "The Girl Who Wasn't There"

 The Girl Who Wasn't There

by Hyunseok Elliott Lee

For the past year, Ecosave members have been working on producing promotional material to shed light on the injustices and issues in countries around the world. Recently, we turned our focus towards conducting research in the Philippines, our main country of expertise.

Ecosave had done research since last year on cases of human rights violations that were exacerbated by lack of birth certification, alongside OpenHands, influenced by the idea to produce a documentary to shed light on said issues. Researched traced us to a case of a young child called Rosario Baluyot; Baluyot was 12 years old when she was trafficked to and raped by a man in Olongapo. She was in severely injured and unwell conditions when she was rescued, but eventually succumbed to her wounds and trauma throughout the years. What got her into such a situation in the first place, as well as what stopped her from receiving adequate treatment, was her lack of birth certification.

Her abuser, allegedly a military worker in the US Naval Base in Subic Bay, was never brought to proper justice for his crimes, a result that also was attributed to the lack of birth certification (as she was never recognized as a citizen, the worker was never officially responsible for the crimes that he committed against her).

"The Girl Who Wasn't There" is a documentary that explores the unseen societal injustices that threaten the lives of the less unfortunate worldwide, told through the tragic story of a young girl who went by the name of Rosario Baluyot. Rosario was a victim of a case of terrible sexual abuse, yet her lack of a birth certificate allowed her abuser to go free without punishment. Reflecting on how society failed a young girl and her future, "The Girl Who Wasn't There" aims to see how we can make a world that keeps the hopes and dreams of the youth afloat.

Watch the documentary below:

https://filmfreeway.com/projects/3706623

Ecosave Plogging Day 2025

 EcoSave Plogging Day 2025

written by Hyunseok Elliott Lee

On July 5, 2025, EcoSave members and volunteers met at Banpodaegyo to run — and "plog," aka jog and pick up litter. Just like the 237 Run held on the same day at the same time, this campaign was meant to acknowledge the 237 million children worldwide who lack any legal identity but simultaneously raise awareness without intruding on their freedom with a visible change for residents in and around Seoul.

Armed with gloves and biodegradable trash bags, joggers crossed the bridge and meandered down side paths, picking up plastic bottles, wrappers, and litter stubbornly discarded in the streets. Every piece of trash added to the pile forced people to acknowledge how international decisions and lapses in responsibility impact local populations and even their very own daily lives — much like how ignoring 237 million children does to their development as well.

Thus, the symbolism of plogging occurred on two levels. First, it combatted the urgent local problem of urban pollution and the responsibility of all of mankind to take care of the earth that they shared. Second, it mirrored the ultimate goal of the 237 campaign — that small, incremental changes make all the difference. One run cannot fix the identity problem around the world. One clean-up cannot reverse pollution throughout cities. But each effort marks commitment, collective unity, and an ultimate hope.

Much like the name tags from the 237 Run, these featured names and facts of children benefitting from OpenHands. Therefore, EcoSave connected the physically realized act of cleaning with the symbolism behind running for an identity to stress how there is no such thing as too much effort for advocacy — either one can care for their planet or they can care for its children or they can do both.

The event concluded with the collection of trash in bags that would be separated post-event for recycling purposes. Volunteers spoke out about how they connected their personal connections to their daily realistic behaviors and international injustices. Many claimed that plogging helped them maintain a visualized purpose with an essentially invisible situation for kids who had no identity.

And as a result, EcoSave's event occurred through a dual-focus on environmental and social justice concerns. Ultimately, small efforts — picking up a single bottle, running a single kilometer, telling a single story — are often what creates change first.

On July 5, 2025, EcoSave showed that not every advocacy effort has to occur through a speech or a presentation — sometimes it's as simple as running and picking up trash and refusing to let the invisible stay unseen.

237 Run 2025

 237 Run

written by Hyunseok (Elliott) Lee

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.

Ecosave Philippines Outreach June 2025

Ecosave Philippines Outreach June 2025 

Written by Rebekah Hyuna Lee

 

This June, Ecosave members traveled to the Philippines for our second outreach trip of the year. Upon arriving in Manila, we traveled to Creek Village—a slum home to around 300 impoverished households, where most residents struggle to get by on a monthly income of less than 100 dollars. Like many similar villages across the country, Creek Village has been planned to be demolished by the government, which seeks to remove these villages due to the striking poverty they face and the degrading impression they create of the country as a result. These burnings strip thousands of villagers of their homes and force them to relocate to inhospitable and destitute conditions. We visited the portion of the village that remains inhabited and were greeted by a swarm of young children, excited by our arrival.

 

In this village, our objective was to install solar-powered street lamps across the village to provide a safer environment for villagers at night. We set out across the village to install the streetlamps we had bought from Korea at 10 different locations by attaching them to the exterior of households. After the installation of the street lamps, each Ecosave member led a group of children to plog around the village. After the sun had set, we returned to Creek village to feel the difference ourselves and observe the bustling village among the well-lit streets. 

The next day, we traveled to Tanza 1 and visited the Little Hands Daycare Center with a lesson on alphabets. Our members delivered an interactive presentation on each alphabet, spent time helping each child write the letters of their name, and led an engaging activity where each child made bracelets of their names with their newly-learnt knowledge on alphabets. This lesson not only provided an enriching learning experience for the children, but was another great way for Ecosave members to bond with them.

 

Following the activity, we once again took photos with instant film cameras to capture the special occasion and handed out the kids’ favorite Jollibee meals to wrap up the occasion. 

Our club traveled back to Manila, to the Mall of Asia, for our last planned activity of this outreach: fundraising to support birth registration. The theme of this fundraiser was Squid Game, and our members prepared Squid Game-themed business cards with information on Openhands and Ecosave to hand out to shoppers and game participants, like how it is iconically done in Squid Game. At the rooftop of the mall, we set up an interactive area with three stations of different games: jump rope, jegi-chagi, and ttakji-chigi. By successfully completing a number of any game, participants were given a prize of assorted Korean snacks, encouraging them to look further into our club’s efforts to support the issue. 

Each year, our club seeks new methods of campaigning and making meaningful influence. By strengthening bonds with villages we’ve come to know and reaching out to new ones, we stay committed to expanding our areas of influence on communities in the Philippines.

Sea Levels Set to Rise for Centuries

Sea Levels Set to Rise for Centuries

Written by Rebekah Hyuna Lee

The pace of sea level rise continues to intensify throughout the 21st century, showing no signs of slowing down. The doubling of the pace of sea level rise over the past three decades is predicted to double again by 2100, reshaping coastlines and threatening hundreds of millions of lives. 

Given current global warming trends continue, sea levels are expected to rise by one centimeter per year in just a few generations. However, even if the target of the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5°C is met, it will not significantly prevent the accelerating rising sea levels. Even a small increase in sea level could lead to catastrophic circumstances for over 230 million people living near today’s sea level. 

The sensitivity of polar ice sheets even to minimal warming was most alarming to scientists. Satellite observations show that the Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets, which hold enough frozen water to raise sea levels by 65 meters, are melting and calving by a rate of 400 billion tonnes per year. This irreversible collapse of ice sheets leads to centuries of sea level rise, unpreventable by any immediate emissions reduction. 

The unsettling findings of this research show that without significant investments in coastal defense, many of the world’s largest cities stand at risk of flood. However, the slowing of sea level rise requires a long-term temperature goal; we may already be on an irreversible path, with only possible solutions such as geoengineering and the relocation of society.

Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/05/scientists-warning-oceans-rising-fast/