Expat groups fundraise for orphans

A group of foreigners living in Korea will raise money to sponsor university education for orphans and other underprivileged children at Australia’s popular horse race event Melbourne Cup on Nov.4.

Cathy McQuade, a welfare coordinator of the Australia New Zealand Association (ANZA) Korea, says the group will raise money by selling raffle tickets for the Melbourne Cup luncheon at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Seoul.

“This year our fundraising will offer educational scholarships and we plan to build on this fund over the coming years to send many children to university or college when they finish high school,” McQuade said during an interview with The Korea Times at a café in Seoul on Monday.

“The benefitting students are those who were abandoned at the Mubeop Jeongsa Youth Home in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Although the center cares mainly for disabled children, some of these teenagers have no disability, are very bright and will benefit greatly from the opportunity to go onto further study. ANZA has supported the Youth Home for a number of years.”

The orphanage is independently run and receives no government support.

Officially launched in 2001, ANZA Korea initially started as a society for Australians and New Zealanders in the 1970s. Later its membership has been opened to all foreigners living in Korea as well as Koreans who studied in Australia.

Jena Kovar, ANZA president, says the society has over 200 members from 25 different nationalities and that their main purpose is to fundraise for local Korean charities.

Each year, the ANZA committee decides where the money raised through the Melbourne Cup will go. In September, they decided to send the money to scholarship funds for underprivileged children.

“Each year, we chose different charities,” says McQuade, who has lived in Seoul for two years.

Melbourne Cup is one of the two most important events through which ANZA raise money for local charities. Last year the group raised 10 million won by selling raffle tickets at the popular horse race which is known as “the race that stops a nation.”

Kovar, who came to Korea last year for her husband’s job, says most of the major Melbourne Cup donors are international companies based in Seoul.

“We believe that education is one of the best gifts you can give to someone in the underprivileged situation,” she said.

The group has been active in helping underprivileged people who get little support from the government and society.

McQuade says ANZA Korea is looking for business partners who are willing to partner with the group in furthering the education of disadvantaged children in Korea.

Those who are interested in the Melbourne Cup event or want to know more about ANZA are encouraged to visit the group’s website www.anzakorea.com.