Photo by Chung Yun-jo.
Students volunteer for victims and their families
Other than the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, some university students are engaging in the aftermath of the incident more actively by volunteering to give direct help to the victims and their families. The families of the victims are currently staying in gymnasium in Jindo for the moment. It has been reported by the media that they are having a hard time waiting for further news and do not have the energy to care about their chores.Many people expressed their will to help these families after the incident occurred. Services for them are being executed through volunteer organizations, since individual volunteers may inadvertently cause confusion in distributing and managing the volunteering system. Therefore, authorized organizations and enterprises became responsible in volunteering work. University students joined this movement and are participating in the volunteer works through such organizations.
Volunteering works are divided into two kinds of jobs: helping the victim families in Jindo and Paengmok harbor, and guiding the official memorial altar to visitors. Students who help the family in Jindo and Paengmok harbor clean the toilets and the surroundings, arrange emergency food and aid equipment, and help provide meals according to instructions. Other than helping families in Jindo, some students have served in Ansan where Danwon High School is located. Since many parents have left their homes for quite a long time, the volunteers can help clean the empty houses and deliver lunchboxes for the people who remain at home.
The sinking of the Sewol has brought on numerous effects and influences to university students, and some had an opportunity to deeply think about the current issues.
“I was taken aback with the onset of this incident because I used to have great pride in Korea, thinking Koreans were very capable and ethical,” Kang Yeong-eun (International Studies, 1) said. “However, my shock and disappointment about our society also became my will and motivation to become a greatly competent person to change our society. I hope this tragedy becomes a turning point for Korea to change, not making the sacrifices of the victims in vain. I also hope us Ewha students would be in the center of it as future female leaders.”
저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지