Julia Does a 10k: Running for Resettlement

R4R, or Running for Resettlement, is a fundraiser started last year by Fulbright Korea grantees hoping to benefit North Korean defectors living in South Korea. Last year, R4R raised nearly $10,000 in order to help one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged demographics in Korea and the world.

This year, all of our funds will be sent to the NKHR Rescue Fund. Founded in 1996, the Citizens' Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR) is one of the oldest organizations devoted to North Korean human rights, doing everything from rescue work to resettlement programs. The Rescue Fund is a volunteer group within NKHR that holds fundraisers to raise money to rescue North Korean refugees who are currently in third countries. (North Korean refugees typically go from North Korea to another country before trying to make it to South Korea.)

Most of NKHR's rescuees come from China, where they face the threat of repatriation to North Korea where they will be put into prisons, tortured, and even executed. Because they have to live in hiding, North Korean refugees, especially women, fall victim to labor and sex trafficking. It costs approximately $2500 USD to rescue one person and bring him or her safely to South Korea.

I will be running a 10k in Seoul in June to benefit this fund. My goal is $250, and would greatly appreciate your help in making that goal a reality. It's not me you're helping in the end, but people in great need of your thoughts, prayers, and support. Thanks, and start donating!