Mrs Phoebe Griswold visited Korea right after the November 2009 Trafficking Consultation in Hong Kong. She met women leaders in all three Dioceses: Seoul, Daejon and Busan

Mrs Griswold lectured in the meetings of women’s groups (Mothers’ Union, Girls’ Friendly Society), and Via Media which is a Bible and Spiritual program for lay people in the Diocese of Seoul. Phoebe talked about her visit to Korea in her blog at http://web.me.com/pwgriswold. It was a fruitful meeting for us.

Leadership Training Program

The Council of Women’s Organizations which was formed in accordance with Anglican Consultative Council resolution 13/31 and IAWN’s suggestion, and functioning as the Anglican Church in Korea’s Women’s Desk, hosted ‘The leadership Training Program’ from 19 February to 25 March for women leaders in the Anglican Church of Korea. Four priests include one women priest, and two women (one from NCCK - National Church Council of Korea, the other was the IAWN link for Korea, Ruth Choi).

Donation from the ‘Jesus Love Mission Society’

The ‘Jesus Love Mission Society’ donated US$ 10,000 to the Rev Lee Kyung Rae who went to China last month as a missionary.

Girls’ Friendly Society (GFS) Project for Women Refugees from North Korea

This is the project to support women refugees from North Korea and to help them to be healthy members of our society. The GFS had held a World Council in 2008 and the project U-Mul-Ga (the Well Side) was selected as the World Project.

Plans for the Project included:

• operating a counseling café ‘U-Mul-Ga’ as a physical and psychological space where GFS members and women refugees can talk and listen to each other
• operating an internet café where the difficulties of the refugees can be shared, where there can be regular meetings with the customers of the café, and where a social safety connection can be established for refugees in emergency
• operating a ‘Drop-in Center’ to help refugees to become self-supported financially.

Purposes of operating the café ‘U-Mul-Ga’

• To operate an actual business for helping the women refugees.
• A business of selling bread for hiring employees, not hiring employees for selling bread.
• To serve the role of ‘incubator’ so that the women can acclimatise themselves to South Korean society.
• Plan to expand it to be an employment bank, to supply professional trainers, and to support persons establishing a business.
• To be a place for exchanging cultures between North and South Korea
• Changing the consciousness of Korean people towards refugees as coexisting members of our society without any gap.

Opening the Café U-Mul-Ga

The café finally opened on 12 March and was named ‘Café Grace’.