Interview with Cherry

 

 

 

Open Hands Service Trip Day 2 (June 19)

     From nine in the morning to six in the afternoon, our schedule was packed. Our first destination, where we would spend the majority of the day, was a small village called Apia. As soon as we arrived, we were given the task to make bread. We all thought making bread would be busy, as it only involved a single step of rolling the dough into a circle. However, we struggled with shaping the dough, even the mothers. After a while, some of us got the hang of it and although our muscles started to ache, we continued to give our best, thinking about the smiles on the children who would eat the bread. We made approximately 200 servings of bread, which we later served to the village kids.

     Before lunch, we still had two tasks to complete. First, we had to help clean the filters that were part of the water kits made by Open Hands. The water kits were previously installed by Open Hands before our trip, so our mission was to clean out the filter. We stopped by two houses and efficiently cleaned the filters by using a syringe and made sure that the drinking water was safe. Our second task was to help explain and give 'Lumir K' lamps to the village people. This lamp is generated solely through oil, preferably kerosene, and is extremely useful to villages without electricity. 

     

     After lunch, we played with the village children. We taught them the song and dance from Day 1, played Duck Duck Goose and Jenga, had conversations, and ended with handing out bubbles. During this time, we were simply glad to be able to be part of their lives, even if it was only for an hour. 

     We said our goodbye's to the children in Apia Village and drove to our last destination of the day and entire trip, Bangyat Village. At this village, we taught several kids how to play basketball and helped out with feeding. Again, we poured porridge into small bowls and gave out pieces of candy. 

  

     Although we were exhausted by the end of the trip because of our busy schedule, we were all glad that we could help the different villages and was overall, a humbling experience. We walked away from the villages blessed by the love and genuine joy shown by the children and although the trip only lasted two days, it was truly an unforgettable two days. From what we experienced and witnessed, the Ecosave Club wishes to help these environmentally polluted areas and underprivileged children by raising funds back in South Korea. 

By Soo Lee

Open Hands Service Trip Day 1

    We have actively been sponsoring Open Hands and through them, we were introduced to Cherry and her difficulties of teaching in such an underprivileged environment. After hearing her story, four members of the Ecosave Club - Soo Lee, Daniel Kim, Justin Chung, Cindy Kim - traveled to the Philippines full of excitement, ready to serve the community and help Cherry.

    First, we went to Cherry's village and watched her teach math to the local children. The children, around 60 of them, were chaotic yet eager to learn. Following Cherry's math lesson, we taught a simple dance and thankfully, each and every one of the children were jumping up and down and having fun. We also handed out bubbles for the children to play with. To provide the children a better learning environment, we gave out school supplies such as whiteboards, notebooks, pens, pencils, and crayons. By the time we were done handing out the materials, everyone was hungry and it was time for feeding. We helped out by pouring porridge into small bowls and filled up their stomachs. 

  Then we drove down to Cherry's house and met a few other kids. She talked about how she was struggling to properly educate the underprivileged kids due to economic difficulties and a lack of resources. We learned that many children could not access proper public schools since they were not able to receive their birth certificates. We had the opportunity to interview her and ask a few questions regarding her life. Overall, Cherry showed us great hospitality and it was a humbling experience to witness how she went through her daily life. 

    

Open Hands Seminar

 On May 2nd, Eco Save Club members participated in a seminar hosted by the NGO/NPO  Open Hands.

 Open Hands is a Korean organization that helps enhance the living conditions for people that are less fortunate. Their motto is 'Save Lives & Impact People' and their primary goal is to introduce global corporations to people who need funding and knowledge in order to sustain living environment. They are working on many different projects including "Water Together", "Build Together", "Dream Together", and "Serve Together". Water together is a project to provide household water purifiers to people living in water-contaminated areas. Build Together is a project where they build houses, bathrooms, etc. in villages of countries that need it. Serve Together is a program where people visit cooperative villages with Open Hands and work together in village's public facilities. Lastly, Dream Together is a project where people teach kids for the development of future generations. In addition to this, they have committed to many fundraising activities to help the people in need. Currently, they are active in 3 countries and 39 villages, and are continuing to grow.

 Our Eco Save Club is planning to join their projects helping hands to people in need including "Water Together" projects which are planning to provide water kits consisting of hollow and carbon filter to water contaminated areas.

 

 

By Justin Chung

KIS ES Assembly

On 2/28/2017, we went to the Open Hands meeting room to learn how to use the filtering machine. On 3/3/2017, Stanley and I did a presentation in front of the Elementary Schoolers. During the assembly, we emphasized the importance of water and how other countries use simple and convenient filtering systems to change contaminated water into clean water. To provide a visual experience for the students, we brought in the actual filtering system for a better understanding of what the filtering system actually looks like.

By Ji Won Cindy Kim

Earth Hour In My Place (8:30~9:30pm 25MAR2017)

 I turned off the lights and spent time with candle for an hour to be part of Earth Hour 2017!!

*Korea's Landmarks participated in Earth Hour
1. Heunginjimun Gate, Seoul
2. Sungnyemun Gate, Seoul
3. Namsan Tower, Seoul
4. Seoul City Hall, Seoul
5. KT Gwanghwamun Company Building, Seoul
6. Suwon Hwaseong, Suwon
7. Jeondong Catholic Church, Jeonju
8. Busan Tower, Busan
9. Busan City Hall, Busan
10. Busan Port Bridge, Busan
11. Busan Cinema Center, Busan


By Justin Chung

Earth Hour 2017

Earth Hour 2017: 8 things to do in the dark

Earth Hour 2017

Be a part of Earth Hour 2017. Turn out your lights on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30pm and show your commitment to a better future.

Switching off the lights for Earth Hour 2017 means showing your commitment to the planet—and switching on the fun at home.
Join hundreds of millions of people around the world in our collective fight against climate change. Your commitment to the planet helps to create far-reaching environmental and social impact. There's never been a more timely and important moment for the world to stand in solidarity for the protection of our planet.
This year, Earth Hour takes place at 8:30 p.m. local time on March 25. 
We know even small actions at home can help the planet at large. So consider the lights-out hour as an opportunity to enjoy quality time with family and friends and celebrate your role in this global movement.
Here are a few ideas for fun things you can do during Earth Hour:

1. Turn up the dark! Hold an unplugged concert and stream it live.
Music has the ability to inspire and ignite meaningful action. During Earth Hour, go live on your Facebook page or other live channel and share your original performance in the climate movement using #EarthHourLive.

2. Work up a sweat! Raise your heart rate with a candlelight session of your favorite workout.
Gather your friends for a candlelight workout and burn some calories along with those candles. In your down time, think on ways you can bring your commitment to climate action beyond Earth Hour.

3. Make a sign for the People’s Climate March on April 29^th or the next rally of your choice.
Momentum is on our side. The world is looking toward a renewable future and there’s never been a more critical moment to show solidarity. Use your Earth Hour to create a sign to show your commitment to fighting climate change every day.

4. Take in the sights! Spot the landmarks around you that are participating in Earth Hour.
Hundreds of the world’s most iconic landmarks, from the Empire State Building, to the Eiffel Tower and the Sydney Opera House participate in Earth Hour. This year, take a walk around your town or city and try to see which buildings switched off their lights for the planet.

5. Create your masterpiece! Make art in the dark.
Unleash your inner artist and use Earth Hour to try your hand at creating in the dark. From painting your friend’s face as their favorite animal, to drawing images of the wildlife and nature you love, have a wow or a laugh when you turn back on the lights.

6. Host a dinner party for family and friends!
Invite your loved ones over for a potluck dinner to be enjoyed by candlelight. Consider asking people make sustainably sourced dishes to share and encourage everyone to take home leftovers to reduce food waste.

7. Look at the stars! 
Study up on the cosmos and then venture out to a dark, open spot near your home. See which constellations you can pick out in the night sky, and maybe even glimpse a shooting star!

8. Make a resolution! Commit to reducing your carbon footprint.
March 25 is as good a day as any to make a resolution to reduce your carbon footprint. Turn off the lights when leaving the room for 15 minutes or more, or switch to e-billing to save paper. Pick any one (or all) of these simple tips to help conserve the environment.


http://www.wwfkorea.or.kr