Dream built on Cherry's House (from Open Hands 2018 annual report)

In a rural town of Inarawan in the Phillippines, Ms. Cherry opened her home, despite poor conditions, as a temporary school for neglected children in the area. There is no chalkboards or desks, but only dirt grounds where children sat around to learn.  In response to Ms. Cherry's needs, a group of environment club members of Ecosave, representing different international high schools in Seoul area, consistently got together to help improve school flooring and provide school supplies. With the support of Ecosave members, Ms. Cherry's school was able to build additional floors to her home to provide separate classrooms. As a result, students no longer needed to repeat setting up and cleaning up classes every day.

Ms. Cherry (Inarawan home school teacher)
"My home was not adequately fit to be a school, but Ecosave team helped to significantly improve our school environment. I hope to instill learning habits for underprivileged and less academically inclined students so that they may complete minimum high school education. I hope to provide an environment where students could freely come to learn. We would appreciate your continued support and interest in our school."


Kim Jin Won (Grade 12, Yongsan International School of Seoul)
"Our support and involvement with Ms. Cherry's school began after hearing about their school needs. It's almost like a miracle to see the progress being made with classrooms and even a library being built.  It is exciting to witness how a school could change a student's life, family and community.  I hope to find ways to provide computer-led education and customized curriculum for different ages. Emphasis on the hygienic environment and disease awareness are key to maintaining a clean and safe learning environment."

Lee Eun Soo (First year, Harvard University)
"I cannot forget the cute round eyes of all the children when I first saw them. Initially, our goal was to provide basic support but we realized providing an educational opportunity is the best support for these children to pull themselves out of poverty. Continued development is needed to make a better world to live in. I hope to extend myself to be able to help children in need."

Kim Ji Won (Grade 10, Korea International School)
"I'm just glad and thankful our small support is able to make such a big change to Ms. Cherry's home.  Our support activity allowed me to look deep down inside myself. Environment and poverty issues seemed much distant on news or articles, but first-hand look and witness of such issues surrounding our society shed a realistic view on the current situation. I felt inadequate to do anything on my own, but this collective effort provided a good opportunity for me to be part of a support drive."

Chung Hyun Ho (Grade 11, Seoul Foreign School)
"My experience with Ecosave made me realize the importance of NGOs like UN that focuses on helping those in need. There are still a vast number of underprivileged children without any opportunity to learn. I learned there's a great value in helping these children in need rather than just being comfortable in our comfort surrounding. It's wonderful to see how the learning environment for Ms. Cherry and her students have improved since two years ago when we first visited here."