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North Korean Refugee Support Projects

Projects which support and empower North Korean refugees.

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North Korean Refugee Support Projects

North Korean Refugee Support Projects

North Korean Refugee Support Projects

North Korean Refugee Support Projects

North Korean Refugee Support Projects

Projects which support and empower North Korean refugees.

Projects which support and empower North Korean refugees.

Projects which support and empower North Korean refugees.

Projects which support and empower North Korean refugees.

Jihyun Park
Jihyun Park
Jihyun Park
Jihyun Park
1 Campaign |
London, United Kingdom
$4,249 USD $4,249 USD 34 backers
33% of $12,647 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

I am a North Korean refugee. I work for the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea. Due to my work, I am often asked to speak about my experiences in North Korea. After speaking out on North Korea's human rights abuses for the past few years, I now want to empower and support the North Korean refugee community in Europe through setting up projects which help them settle in their new countries. These projects will help teach them the skills they need to thrive and will also help raise awareness of North Korean human rights. Help #FundJihyun by making a donation. All money raised will go to the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea. I am aiming to crowdfund £10,000 of the £45,000 we need to raise to launch these projects.

The Projects

Kyoyuk - Refugee English Education Programme

There are approximately 2,000 North Koreans in Europe, with half living in the UK. My organisation surveyed some of these refugees last year. Every participant said that the largest struggle for integrating was a lack of opportunities to learn the language. With governments across Europe cutting budgets for projects which ease the settlement of refugees, I want to start classes for North Koreans in London to learn English, with the intention of branching out in to other countries/languages shortly thereafter. As I would like to provide the services free of charge to North Korean refugees, I need to raise money to cover the costs for at least the next year. Your donation will help pay for the expenses for tutors, provide textbooks (reading/writing and grammar) to each North Korean that participates, a venue for twice-weekly classes for different levels of language capability, and printouts for the speaking component of the classes. I aim to provide the service for up to 50 North Koreans over the first year.

Phoenix - Young North Korean Refugee Mentoring Programme

As with many refugees entering Europe, young North Koreans face great barriers to succeed. To enable them to be empowered, to gain the skills needed to thrive in their new countries, and to create the future leaders of a free North Korea, I will soon be launching Phoenix.

Phoenix is a work experience project designed to support Europe-based North Koreans between the ages of 16 and 30. They apply to join our programme for 3 or 6 months. Through work, mentoring, and training I seek to give young North Koreans the tools they need to advance in life. Not only is this experience important for integrating in to their new countries, but it’s also important for creating leaders in different sectors for the future rebuilding of the North Korean state, infrastructure, and economy.

I have already identified the two young North Koreans we will launch the programme with. As our project will be based in London, we require funding to help pay our participants a stipend. Without that stipend, refugees will not be able to be involved as London's living costs are outwith the reaches of most refugees. Your donation will help fund part of the stipend.

Skills Workshops - North Korean Refugee Skills Training

I wish to offer North Korean refugees the chance to improve their technological and writing skills to increase their opportunities for getting jobs and also for them to become more effective advocates for North Korean human rights. Through co-hosted (with partner organisations) skills workshops, North Korean refugees will be taught how to effectively use social media, how to write articles, and other skills which provide them with the tools to speak out and for finding work. Your donation will pay for the expenses of facilitating the project and the cost of venues. Workshops will occur on a monthly basis.

Women's Rights Workshops

As a North Korean women who has experienced being trafficked, I would like to help facilitate workshops for North Korean refugee women to discuss their experiences, to learn more about women's rights from experts on the subjects, and to facilitate dialogue between North Korean refugee women on how to improve North Korean women's rights. Your donation will help pay for a meeting space to hold these workshops. I would like to hold the workshops once every three months.

Speaking in Europe on North Korea's human rights abuses.

As the European Alliance for Human Rights in North Korea’s Outreach and Project Officer, I've spoken at dozens of events on my experiences. I was the feature of a high-profile Amnesty International campaign, reported in major newspapers and on news programmes across Europe. I gave testimony at the UN Commission of Inquiry’s hearings in London on the human rights abuses I suffered. Speaking out about human rights abuses is crucial for the world to understand what is happening in North Korea.

Over the next year, I'd like to help facilitate more North Koreans to speak about their experience. Your donation will help us arrange for North Koreans to speak in Europe on the abuses they have suffered.Your donation will help pay for travel, accommodation, and related costs for bringing North Koreans to Europe to speak. Your donation will also help us pay the transport costs for North Koreans who live in Europe to participate in our events. In the next year, we would like to host events in London, Berlin, Oslo, Prague, Rome, Amsterdam, and as many other European cities as we can. However, lack of funds makes that difficult. Your donation will change that.

My Story

In February 2015, Amnesty International released 'The Other Interview', a short documentary which told my story:


In 2008, I arrived in the UK, following nearly a decade of life in China. Originally from Chongjin city, North Korea, my experiences in China are sadly all too common for North Korean women after they leave the country.

During the famine in North Korea, I left the country for China. I was approached by a man in China who promised me an honest and well-paid job in China and a safe way out for my brother. However, I was brought to a trafficking establishment, sold to a Chinese man, and separated from my brother. My brother was captured and repatriated a year later and I still do not know if he survives.

My experience was so shameful so I tried to hide it, but it was not only my experience, it is the same for other North Korean women who live in China in the same kinds of establishment. I was sold to a Chinese man for 5,000 yuan. Chinese people would gather and choose who they want. There were all kinds of people buying: old, disabled and young people.

I was sold to a farmer in Heilongjiang. It was a long journey in a bus. I was so scared that I felt I was going to my grave.

Between 1998 and 2004, I spent six isolating years in northeast China, living the life of a slave to a Chinese man.

Until 2004, I didn’t know much about labour camps because I was enslaved in China, struggling with my own survival. However, I became intimately aware of the horrors of a labour camp that year, when I too was arrested and repatriated.

Chinese intelligence broke into my house one night. I begged and tried to excuse myself but they would not listen to me. They placed handcuffs on my wrist and I was sent to a Chinese prison on the 30th of April, 2004. There were no visitors allowed. Soup and hard bread were served for every meal for 3 weeks. After that, I was moved to Tumen prison. Handcuffed, the police followed me even to the toilet. I could not escape.

I was repatriated to North Korea. I was sent to a labour camp. Fearing that I would die in the camp from an infection that developed in my leg, I was freed by camp officials. Using all my remaining strength, I fled the country for good. I came to the UK in 2008.

As well as Amnesty's video, I was also the feature of a short documentary called 'Under a Different Sky', where I used a pseudonym because I was fearful of retribution on my family in North Korea.


Financials

Your donation will pay for venues, textbooks and printing, travel to speak at events, and for part of the costs of hiring our Phoenix participants. £3,000 will be spent on travel. £2,000 will be spent on textbooks and printing. £3,000 will be spent on hiring venues for our classes and workshops. The remaining £2,000 will be spent on part of the costs of our Phoenix project. Anything raised over £10,000 will be spent on furthering our other charitable objectives. If we are successful in getting grants to fund our projects, any money raised will be spent on other areas of our organisation. As an organisation with a small budget, we greatly appreciate your support for our projects and for the North Korean people.

Image: © Ben McMillan, www.faceit2015.com

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Social Media Thanks!

Currency Conversion $13 USD
£10 GBP
Pledge your support for our projects and we will pledge our thank you in return. Join the community by receiving our campaign newsletter, keeping you up to date with our progress and news once the projects are launched. We'll also show our thanks publicly on our social media pages.
3 claimed
Ships worldwide.

Website and Newsletter mention

Currency Conversion $19 USD
£15 GBP
For your donation of £15, we will thank you by including your name on our website and newsletter. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates
1 claimed
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Sponsor a Textbook!

Currency Conversion $38 USD
£30 GBP
Donate £30 or more and we'll place a notice in our textbooks for our refugee students which states that the book was purchased using your donation.
4 out of 50 of claimed
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Sponsor a Refugee for 1 Day!

Currency Conversion $76 USD
£60 GBP
Donate £60 and you'll cover the costs of the salary for 1 day for one of our Phoenix participants! In return, we'll send you monthly updates written by our participant - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
2 out of 200 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Sponsor 1 Week of Classes!

Currency Conversion $190 USD
£150 GBP
Donate £150 and you'll cover the costs of the classroom and teacher for one week of classes! In return, for those in London/the UK, we'll invite you to the classroom (travel expenses not included) to view a class in action. For those outwith the UK, we'll make an exclusive video of one class. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
0 out of 25 of claimed
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Have Dinner with Our Team!

Currency Conversion $316 USD
£250 GBP
If you donate £250, the EAHRNK team will thank you by inviting you for Korean food in New Malden (where the North Korean community are based and our projects will be carried out). The dinner will be on us, however we will not be able to cover your travel costs. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
1 out of 5 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

North Korean refugee Q&A

Currency Conversion $379 USD
£300 GBP
30 minute Skype conversation with a North Korean refugee. To show our appreciation of your donation of £500 or over, you will have the opportunity to chat with a North Korean refugee. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
0 out of 4 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

Sponsor a Skills Workshop!

Currency Conversion $632 USD
£500 GBP
Donate £500 to help support and empower North Koreans through the hosting of Skills Workshops! In return, we'll invite you to one of the workshops in London (travel expenses not included). If you don't live in London/the UK, we'll make an exclusive film of a workshop for you. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
0 out of 12 of claimed

Women's Rights Workshop

Currency Conversion $632 USD
£500 GBP
Donate £500 and you'll cover the costs of a women's rights workshop! In return, we'll invite you to London/the UK to witness one of the workshops. If you don't live in London, we'll make an exclusive film of one for you. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
0 out of 4 of claimed

Sponsor the Travel of Refugees

Currency Conversion $1,265 USD
£1,000 GBP
Donate £1,000 and you'll cover the costs for refugees in Europe to participate in 5 events on North Korean human rights. In return, we'll invite you to some of our closed-door events. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
0 out of 10 of claimed

North Korean refugee art

Currency Conversion $2,529 USD
£2,000 GBP
A one-of-a-kind printed etching produced by a North Korean refugee. Sized 15cm by 50cm. Please see below for postage and packaging details, the art will be posted from the UK. - 'Stay in touch' newsletter and updates - Website and newsletter mention
Estimated Shipping
August 2015
0 out of 5 of claimed
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