Today is Tuesday and it is 21 degrees and snowing in Seoul, South Korea. I am visiting Eastern Social Welfare Society, established originally as Eastern Children’s Welfare Center founded in 1972. Dillon International, an affiliated ministry of Buckner International for Inter-country adoptions, developed a collaborative relationship with Eastern in 1972. Eastern’s original name was David Livingstone Missionary Foundation. For almost 40 years Dillon and Eastern have worked together to make life better for vulnerable children and orphans placing 4,600 Korean children in United States. At its apex, Dillon placed about 600 Korean children in one year. Dr. Jerry and Deniese Dillon, Co-Founders of Dillon International, are leading our visit to Eastern. DukYung Um, director of the Dillon Korean program is also with us as well as Kyle Tresch, new Director of Operations for Dillon International.
Eastern is a multi-service private foundation dedicated to serving vulnerable children and orphans.
Eastern employs about 350 staff across 15 locations in South Korea with their headquarters in Seoul. They are funded by private donations, grants, and government support. They are one of four authorized child-placing agencies in Korea. Dillon is one of several inter-country adoption agencies that places children through Eastern in the United States. The purpose of our visit is to enhance the relationship we have with Eastern, to discover new opportunities for collaboration, to meet their staff, and to introduce Kyle Tresch.
On our first day in Seoul we toured Eastern’s corporate offices and facilities in Seoul. I walked into a room of 40 newborns awaiting foster care placement, domestic adoption, and as a last alternative, intercountry adoption. Some of these children will remain with their birth mother if she so chooses. I met Dr. Kim, Jin Sook, President of Eastern, the daughter of Eastern’s Founder, Dr. Kim (Elder), and an impressive leader and visionary.
Today, we travelled to Pyeongtaek Welfare Town, about an hour from Seoul. Pyeongtaek is a village with several facilities and services that are provided. Jacob’s house is a children’s development center; Esther’s House is a Rehabilitation Facility for single mother’s; Eastern Special School is designed for children with special needs; Eastern Children Rehabilitation Home is a rehabilitation center for disabled children; Eastern Vocational Center for the Disabled and vocational program that specializes in developing skills and jobs for disabled children; and Dong-kwang Church is a local congregation that serves all the residents of Eastern Welfare Village.
The relationship between Dillon and Eastern is a clear demonstration of collaboration. They are getting more done together than they could do alone. Ultimately, this benefits the children that I met, little newborns, full of power and potential, that may grow up to change the world. I have learned a lot about Dillon and a lot about Eastern and become more proud each day of the affiliation we have with Dillon. We are grafted into a larger family here in Seoul. We are blessed through this collaboration. We are blessed to bless others, like snow falling from the sky.
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Posted by: Adoption Services | January 10, 2012 at 08:49 PM