Kim In, the Chairman of the Saemaul Geumgo Local Hope Sharing Foundation (right), holds a donation ceremony for supporting assistive devices for visually and hearing impaired children and adolescents at the headquarters of the Saemaul Geumgo Central Association in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 18th, and is taking a commemorative photo with Baek Kyung-hak, the Executive Director of the Purme Foundation (left). /Courtesy of Saemaul Geumgo Central Association

The Saemaul Geumgo Regional Hope Sharing Foundation announced on the 26th that it will provide assistive devices worth 200 million won to visually and hearing-impaired children and adolescents.

This foundation support project was selected as a new public utilities initiative through a reorganization of social contribution activities marking its 10th anniversary this year. The foundation noted that, unlike previous assistive device support, it aims to conduct this project to contribute to alleviating welfare blind spots by focusing support on visually and hearing-impaired children and adolescents with inadequate assistance.

It is especially designed to provide practical help to disabled children and adolescents who are unable to timely replace or acquire necessary assistive devices due to economic difficulties, thereby increasing their participation in learning and daily life.

The support items include braille information devices, reading magnifiers, special mice, and communication assistive devices, with a significantly broadened range of options to allow recipients to freely select devices suitable for their individual situations. Up to 3 million won is provided per person.

The foundation expressed hope that this project will serve as a solid foundation for disabled children and adolescents to expand educational opportunities and enhance their self-reliance, realizing greater dreams. Support targets will be selected nationwide. The foundation plans to collaborate with the Purme Foundation to discover, recruit, and assess beneficiaries based on their practical needs and potential uses through expert evaluations before final selection.

Kim In, the foundation's chairman, said, "Assistive devices are not just simple items, but a medium of consolidation that helps communicate with the world and grow." He added, "Through this support, we will continue to provide ongoing assistance so that disabled children and adolescents can move, learn, express, and grow healthily with greater freedom."