Melissa Volunteers at an Orphanage

Last Sunday I volunteered at an orphanage in Eongyang, a small city about 25 minutes outside of Ulsan. A while ago, I joined a group on Facebook called T-Hope (Teachers Helping Other People Everywhere) that organizes a group of foreigners to volunteer at an orphanage 2 Sundays a month. Not knowing what to expect, and having images of Annie scrubbing floors singing "It's a Hard Knock Life," I was shocked at how beautiful the facilities were. The orphanage houses about 120 kids of all ages, from infants to late teens. It is set in the country-side surrounded by farms and rolling hills. It has a sauna, fully equipped gym, large flat-screen TVs, a big playground, and dorms that sleep four children to a room. I heard that at first the foreigners were trying to raise money to donate to the orphanage, but they actually said they didn't need any money, and that they'd rather have volunteers come instead. This orphanage is privately funded, so I think it's better off than the others.

I went with my friends Josephine, Marissa, Jen, and Julia, plus 26 other foreigners that volunteered that day. We divided into groups, that included the nursery, arts/crafts, sports, hiking, music, and games. The girls I went with chose to do arts and crafts, but I really wanted to work in the nursery, so I joined up with 4 other girls to play with the babies and toddlers!

The few guys that went were in charge of sports.

The playground where we played for an hour and a half.

We weren't allowed to take pictures, but the guy in charge went around with his camera and posted these pics on his facebook page.

There I am chasing after a kid! They LOVED to play tag and we taught them Duck, Duck, Goose, which they thought was pretty fun, too.

Me with one of the little munchkins! This little girl was a lot of fun to play with. She kept insisting I twirl her around in circles, chase her, push her on the swings...I wanted to take her home with me! :)

They loved the see-saw.

I snuck inside a couple of times to spend some time with the infants, but I couldn't take any pictures. At one point I was on the floor playing with one of the babies when a caregiver put her in my lap and gave me a bottle to feed her! I was lovin that! After a couple of hours, we all took a bus back to Ulsan. This was a great experience and I was really pleased with how happy and well cared for the kids were. I'll leave you with an interesting fact...when parents are having financial difficulties at home, they can drop their kids off at the orphanage temporarily and pick them up when they have things under control! So, some of these children are up for adoption and others are waiting for their parents to come back to pick them up. I thought that was pretty interesting.

Here is an article written about the orphanage and T-HOPE organization below:

Orphanage gets help from expats
ULSAN - In September the faces of the underprivileged children will be a little bit brighter, thanks to some hard working English teachers. The members of T-HOPE plan to bring joy and friendship to some orphans by donating their time, energy and kindness. T-HOPE, which stands for Teachers Helping Other People Everywhere, is an organization that helps people in need. T-HOPE is made up of teachers in Ulsan who are committed to helping a wide range of under-privileged people all over Korea. The group`s efforts center on helping out a local orphanage in Eonyang, a small city close to Ulsan. They are providing much needed friendship for the children and helping them develop where they might otherwise not have had an opportunity. The main focus will be in three areas: English, arts, and activities. "It`s not just about teaching them English," Dan Gauthier said, "it`s about companionship." Gauthier is the founding member of T-HOPE. Sept. 12 will be the start of the program for the children and Dan hopes it will be a success. It is a big commitment, but Dan seems confident that everyone will pull together for the opening day. Gauthier, originally from Canada, is a long-term member of the Ulsan expat community. He is committed to improving the lives of not only foreigners, but the citizens of Ulsan as well. "I`ve been here for 10 years and I want to give something back," Gauthier said, speaking about why he started T-HOPE. Over the past summer, Gauthier and his group have put on events that have benefited various charities and have pulled the foreign residents together alongside local Koreans in a spirit of giving. T-HOPE is getting ready to expand to other cities around the country. There are close to 80 teachers signed up to help with T-HOPE`s current program. The teachers will head out to the orphanage the second and fourth Saturdays of every month, starting in September. Gauthier said the program`s success rests on the regular participation of the volunteers. Like children everywhere, these children need role models and someone to be there for them. T-HOPE plans to provide them with exactly that. "It`s more than just helping them, it is about being there for them," Gauthier says. T-HOPE is preparing the formalities of trying to become a registered organization, but faces problems related to being a foreign-run organization. Gauthier is set to return to Canada to register T-HOPE as an international non-profit organization. The city of Ulsan has been a key figure in helping T-HOPE. The city has been a positive force for the efforts of teachers who try to help others. They have provided funds and locations for events that have helped a great many people over the years and they continue to support organizations like T-HOPE. (jt@jasonteale.com) By Jason Teale