- Backpack - Yesstyle
- Glasses - Thick-rimmed
- Clothes - Pants
- Shoes - Grey/Black
- Skyrim - Video Game
- Money..?
RESCUE JOURNEY
Once refugees escape from North Korea, LiNK helps to bring them out of hiding
and to safety through a modern day Underground Railroad.
The rescue mission usually begins in China and ends in Southeast Asia in our transition shelter where we offer comprehensive information, options for resettlement, and guidance throughout the complicated and sometimes lengthy process. The journey is dangerous as North Korean refugees must stay hidden throughout as they illegally traverse borders and various terrains.
$2500 CAN SAVE A LIFE FROM HIDING
Here is an average breakdown of what your money can provide:
t costs an average of approximately $2,500 to rescue one North Korean refugee- this includes food, shelter, transportation, guides, government fines, basic needs (medicine, toiletries, etc), processing, and more - it also ensures that each refugee will never have to pay anything during the journey.
Once they reach our shelter in Southeast Asia, they have reached safety, but not yet freedom. It is through the resettlement process that refugees will finally reach freedom in their new countries of settlement.
RESETTLEMENT
Resettlement is where North Korean refugees truly find freedom.
We often say that a refugee’s journey doesn’t end upon resettlement, but truly begins as they acclimate to their new found freedom and settle into their new lives.
North Koreans must adjust to drastically different cultures and systems (even in South Korea), understand basic societal principles and nuances, and learn even everyday things such as how to use an ATM machine or write a check, or how to ride the subway. Getting settled can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing, especially for North Koreans who make it to the U.S. and receive minimal support and benefits from the government.
Through this program, refugees we have helped to resettle are able to receive financial assistance in the form of scholarships and loans, housing support, medical and legal assistance, tutoring, mentoring, and service referrals. We also provide general case management (including home visits, check-in’s) and arrange group gatherings (for refugees in Korea) since many have resettled without friends or family. With more refugees being rescued, many more are arriving for resettlement and are in need of this critical support.
Our priority is also to reunite families that have been separated- we identify, rescue and safely resettle family members together whenever possible, or assist in facilitating reunions. In the picture above, Danny and his mother were reunited for the first time in four years.
What is so incredible is to see many of these refugees today in places and doing things that they could have never imagined years ago; some have graduated high school and gone on to college, others have been married and even had children, and all are finally living their lives in freedom.
My name is Paul Taeju Ponce and I am working with UCSD’s LiNK in raising money to continue the rescuing of North Korean refugees. You can make a difference by donating as low as $1. Be the one. Make the change.
Donations can be made here: http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise/link?fcid=176078
