2016-17 SIWA Year in Review

2016-2017 A Year in Review

Enhancing

lives through friendship, enrichment charity.

&

Dear Valued Sponsor, Seoul International Women’s Association experienced a stellar year of friendship, enrichment and charity during 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Since its inception in 1962, SIWA continues with the time-honored tradition of giving back to Korea. SIWA members helped raise over KRW80 million benefitting 14 various charitable organizations that support orphans, the disabled, and many other disenfranchised members of Korean society. Furthermore, we selected “Multicultural Students’ Education in Korea” as the social issue to be addressed by the new Philanthropy Project as a part of SIWA’s new strategy for future funding practice.

Welfare Committee members have interviewed six schools that made the short list, and in the fall, one exceptional multicultural school will be recognized to receive the special funding.

I am proud to share that SIWA now has a digital archive using issuu.com where our visitors can view old documents such as the typewriter-written newsletters, to a photo of Mother Teresa’s visit in 1985. This digital library speaks volumes about SIWA’s rich history and legacy.

SIWA leaders also collaborated with a developer and in April 2017, launched our brand-new web site that is user-friendly and mobile device-friendly, making it easier for all visitors to navigate our pages, www.siwakorea.com. Our team effort is genuinely reflective of SIWA’s Core Values.

SIWA women were further engaged with our host community when PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games Volunteer Committee approached us for help. Our members interviewed over 600 potential candidates from around the world who applied to volunteer at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. Our members are simply the best!

Run by 100% volunteers, Seoul International Women’s Association continues to grow as the premier international organization in Korea bringing together women from around the globe.

I hope you will enjoy our first publication of A Year in Review 2016-2017.

Sincerely, Anne K. Choe President

Discovery magazine is now available online at www.issuu.com (At left, March 1998; above, issues from 2016-17)

SIWA by the Numbers In 2016, we launched a History Project. Here is what we discovered!

Since1962,

SIWA has been active nonstop —totaling 55 years; has held 54 SIWA & Diplomatic Community bazaars and has published 52 issues of Discovery magazine, now available online.

Fun Facts In 1962, SIWA’s charity work supported Orphans in Korea

In May 1966, SIWA’s Coffee Morning Speaker (then called “Afternoon Tea”) was Pearl S. Buck, American writer and novelist who spent most of her life in Zhenjiang, China.

In 1965, Korean Dancing Instruction Interest Group cost 500 Won/ Month

In 2017, proceeds of SIWA’s Gala supported Orphans in Korea

We arevery proud of our accomplishments then&now.

In2016-2017, SIWA remained 100% volunteer driven, serving a total of 320 members, plus 110 honorary diplomatic spouses.

Our Tours Team organized • 60 Tours • 499 Participants • 466 Members; 33 Non-Members Collecting 1,550,000 KRW for Welfare.

\We planned and managed 2 Special Events including:

Our Interest Groups organized

1 SIWA & Diplomatic Community Bazaar that raised 59,000,000 KRW for Welfare

• 109 events, including: • 49 Moms & Tots events • 12 Photo Club meetings • 11 Working Women’s Network events • 11 Book Club meetings • 8 Korean-English Conversation meetings • 7 International Culinary Exchange events • 4 Transition Group meetings • 3 Cultural Connection events • offered 45 Community Service opportunities Collecting 500,000 KRW for Welfare.

And 1 SIWA Charity Gala That raised 23,000,000 KRW for Welfare.

We organized and attended:

Altogether, we raised

• 7 Coffee Mornings, • 3 Coffee Mingles, • 1 Spring Lunch, and • 1 Holiday Lunch With raffles that raised 2,765,000 KRW for Welfare, and collected an additional 1,000,000 KRW in other donations for Welfare.

87,800,000 KRW in 2016-17 for Welfare,

and disbursed 88,600,000 KRW, Benefiting 14 Charities.

Meet the 2016-17 SIWA WelfareTeam

We are proud to have a team of experienced and talented women who have been relentlessly serving the objectives of the SIWA Welfare Committee since inception.

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart . – Elizabeth Andrew

SIWA has meaningfully

contributed to, and created impact on

Korean charities over the years SIWA has been supporting Korean charities involved in different social issues including those involved with Cancer and HIV/AIDS patients

Scholarship fund and mentoring program for orphans

Center for the handicapped

HIV/AIDS patients—Home shelter and treatment support Support programs for the elderly

Outreach program for teenage runaways

Home shelter for multi-cultural workers

Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer

Orphanage and children’s shelter

Old age home

47% 25% 11% 11% Orphans – Home Shelter and Education

Disease Treatment

Teenage Runaways Services

Multicultural Workers – Home Shelter

6%

Services for Elders

A sampling of local charities supported

by SIWA in the last three years • All Love School • Anna’s House (AGIT) • Bitdurle Study Room • Columban Day Center – Myongdo Welfare Centre • Dongmyung School • Emmaus’s House • Green Dream Project (Dreamtree Village) • Happy Silver World • Jacob’s Home • Jeonjinsang Welfare Center • Korean Cancer Society • Malgeunsam Shelter for Cancer Patients • Maria & Marta’s House • Mongilian School • New Light Community • Oak Tree Project • Lady of Mercy Children’s Home • Peace House • Pigeon Study Room • Rainbow Community • Red Cross • Soyang Rainbow Hill Orphanage • St. Cloumban • Sunshine Drop-in Center for Homeless Men • YangYang Children’s Welfare Center

2016-17 SIWA

Welfare Support SIWA has allocated KRW 88.6 MN between 14 institutions in 2016-17 to create a positive lifelong developmental impact on the lives of the under-privileged society in Korea

7,000,000 7,000,000

10,000,000

7,000,000

10,000,000

7,000,000

7,000,000

5,600,000 5,000,000

5,000,000

5,000,000 5,000,000 5,000,000

3,000,000

Myongdo Welfare Center

Dream Tree Village

Joon Jin Sang Clinic

Oak Tree Project

AGIT

Soyang Rainbow

Korean Cancer Society

Green Dream Project (Dream Tree Village)

Dongmyoung Orphanage

Marla and Martha’s House

Yang Yang Children’s Welfare

Emmaus House

Happy Silver World

New Light Community

AGIT Project

supported by SIWA

AGIT is an outreach

program for teenage runaways.

It provides food, counseling and medical services.

Father Vincenzo, a trained social worker, travels with volunteers in a colorful bus to the outskirts of southeast Seoul.

They set up a tent, a small table, and a few chairs to hand out food, treats and first-aid kits to teens who approach them.

Each item is labelled with AGIT contact details.

Creating Impact:

Every picture has a story to tell

From the SIWA Archives

One of the first presidents of SIWA was a woman named Mrs. Mary Lee. According to our records, she was the only female member of National Assembly. She gave a talk about Orphans in 1965 that shed light on the need for a better conditions for women.