History of the SALT Youth Group
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a great portion of foreign aid and charity funds that went to destitute regions were cut sharply short as people’s attention were consumed by fighting the global pandemic. During this time, the founding members of SALT Youth Group gathered to share and focus our efforts in reaching out to those in need.
While discussing what young people like us could do in such conditions, twelve students decided to fund-raise to address the dire needs of children in Rwanda. A year later in 2022, we succeeded in reaching our goal of over 10,000 US dollars to build an IT Center at Vineyard Nursery and Primary School in Rwanda. The center entailed installing IT infrastructure such as building IT pipelines that connect from Kigali, the capital of Rwanda to Vineyard School. The project also went on to provide computers, create e-books, conduct research for diverse topics related to Rwanda, and educate teachers and students online.
Shortly after, the success of our project impressed the officials of the Rwanda Ministry of Education. They commented that although many NGOs and charity projects in Rwanda seek to relieve immediate needs like food and medicine exist, there aren’t as many that strive for long term, future oriented effects in the community. In recognition of this unique contribution, the Rwanda Ministry of Education awarded the IT Center of Vineyard School a special certificate, highlighting the project as a model program and “Outstanding School Project of the Year”.
2023 Launching Domestic Projects
Since the spring of 2023, SALT Youth Group has also explored ways to expand our commitment to our homeland, Korea. We subsequently decided to focus our attention on the foreign workers in Korea. Foreign workers are often excluded from legal protections and social services and left vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. In cooperation with the Korea Migration Office, we met with many migrant workers, listened carefully to their needs, and promised to offer our aid. For that particular year, we discovered that they were in need of funding for their annual culture festival. This was an important event that allowed the workers to gather, share their interests, and exchange opinions. Organizers had been preparing to expand the festival to include foreign workers scattered across different regions but they were unable to find a sponsor willing to support their festival.
Our group succeeded in raising funds exceeding 5 million won(5000 US dollars), enough to sponsor the event. We additionally remodeled the facilities and classrooms of the Korea Migration office, where workers learn Korean for free to improve their language and communication skills.
2024 Children's Center in Rwanda
Upon the request of Rwanda-based NGOs that were deeply impressed by the IT center and e-learning program, SALT decided to build a children's education center in Ndera, Rwanda. Ndera is one of the most impoverished areas in Rwanda. Through our prior experiences in the country, we found that children in this area aged from 2 to 5 are literally forced to wander the streets unsupervised, as mandatory education begins in primary and middle school.
We raised over 10,000 US dollars for this project, and completed the new Children's Center in Ndera in May 2024. During the summer, SALT volunteer members also traveled to Rwanda to visit the center and actually teach the children. We returned to Korea with our hearts full, motivated more than ever to continue supporting the Rwandan children as teachers and donors.
