About This Fundraiser
I am excited to run the Seoul International Marathon on March 18, 2018, and I'm dedicating my race to an organization that I recently got involved with - Teaching North Korean Refugees. They provide North Korean defectors with the chance to study English one-on-one with volunteer tutors. In Korea, getting into a good university and landing a good job requires English skills, which many North Koreans did not have the chance to learn as South Koreans did, from childhood. I've thought a lot about this race, and the hardest hurdle for me in running a marathon is the training, so I calculated the miles that I'll run from now until after the race and it came to 545 miles total - hence my fundraising goal! I'll need this motivation to run though the winter... ;) Please support me in this effort to raise 1,000won per mile - and your donation will most importantly go to support TNKR and North Korean defectors who need the chance to study English and make a new life for themselves.
Recent Supporters
About General Fund
In November 2016, the Ministry of Unification in South Korea reported that the number of North Korean refugees escaping to South Korea had surpassed 30,000. Various media report various challenges that refugees face in adjusting to South Korea. An estimated 35 percent of refugees are unemployed, 80 percent work in menial jobs, and refugees who are employed earn 50% of what South Koreans earn.
Escaping North Korea is the first battle many refugees face. Many report that English is a major barrier for many of them, as they struggle with "Konglish" words that have seeped into the South Korean language. TNKR helps refugees by connecting them with volunteer tutors. Since its founding in March 2013, TNKR has connected 315 refugees with more than 650 volunteer tutors and coaches.