Teach North Korean Refugees

A lot of you often have asked me how you can help the situation in North Korea. So this is the chance where you can make that difference. TNKR gives voices to North Korea defectors to share their stories internationally by teaching them English for free. This is really a tip of iceberg of what they are doing. The founders of TNKR and the volunteers that I met showed me an unconditional care and that gave me a confidence that we can free North Koreans if we know what is going on.

I hope we do something positive to show that people are still kind and we still have hope in this world. I am eternally grateful for all your support and please give any little amount you can or just share with your friends. You could become an individual donor to help TNKR become a sustainable organization or donating once is fine too.

To celebrate the new decade, I am starting a TNKR fundraiser all the way from Boston, MA. With a new year comes new dreams, new goals, and new perspectives. I hope to reign in the new year (and new decade) by raising $10k as a cheers to TNKR's future and all the good work the organization has done already.

--Edward Kyungjun Mun

An American who has been following TNKR since 2014 made a $5,000 donation to TNKR last night (October 29).

There's one "catch": The money is restricted and is to be held in a separate account until we match it by raising $5,000.

The reason? He wanted to provide all donors with 100% assurance in advance that their funds would be matched, and released the moment it hits $5,000, with zero delay.

The deadline? He suggests it would be better for us to take the challenge of raising this in one month.

Why is he doing this? Here are a few of the things he said when we talked.

He is inspired by:

* TNKR's staff keeping the focus on empowering North Korean refugees and building an organization from nothing.

* North Korean refugees studying so hard to improve themselves, and those who are willing to share their stories.

* Volunteers giving so much of their time as tutors and mentors.

In 2020, one of TNKR's main goals will be engaging with North Korean refugees seeking employment and education opportunities.

As part of the initiative, TNKR hopes to hire North Korean refugees as interns in our office. We will offer refugees 500,000 won a month to intern with us.

Some of the students in TNKR have offered to intern for free or for miniumum amounts, as thanks, but we think it will be more meaningful for them and more of a commitment if they were paid at least a minimum amount.

You can help by becoming a monthly donor to this project. The more money we raise, the more interns we can employ (although three would probably be the maxiumum at any given time).

In addition to monthly donors, any donations could help this project.

Harvard alumni have recently begun discussing how to support the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education.

Item 1: TNKR volunteer Alannah Hill donated her birthday gift money (about 400,000 won, $335) in honor of the North Korean refugee mother who reportedly starved to death.

Item 2: Over the past few years, several North Korean refugee mothers studying in TNKR have come to us asking for assistance. We are not a one-stop shop for social issues, but we have helped them behind-the-scenes with various issues.

Item 3: In 2017, TNKR received a one-time donation of almost 3 million won to distribute in the form of scholarships for North Korean refugees, but that lasted only one year. All seven beneficiaries were North Korean refugee women studying in TNKR, they each received about 400,000 won.

Item 4: Mirroring the general population of North Korean refugees who have escaped to South Korea, about 76% of students in TNKR are North Korean refugee women.

Inspired by the donation today and the other items above, TNKR would like to resume scholarships for North Korean refugee women studying in our program. Nothing against the men, if you would like to support a scholarship for North Korean refugee men, please contact us, if we have at least one donor giving a significant amount then we can launch such a fundraiser.

Eleven North Korean refugees have set up fundraisers supporting TNKR. It is incredible because many of them had no concept of civil society before joining our organization. After studying with volunteers, many of them say they hope to volunteer one day.

Some of them even take that next step--fundraising for TNKR!

Who are the eleven? They include published authors, public speakers, human rights activists, YouTubers, and low-profile students who all speak out on behalf of TNKR.

September 5th!!! It is the birthday of TNKR Co-founder Casey Lartigue Jr!! 

9월 5일은 TNKR의 공동대표,  케이시 대표님의 생일 입니다!!  

Mr. Casey is an American now living and working in South Korea. Instead of working as a researcher or commentator in the USA, he has been working directly with North Korean refugees for 7 years. Even though he isn't Korean, he established TNKR in 2013 along with Eunkoo Lee. Behind-the-scenes, he counsels, mentors and sponsors North Korean refugees.

TNKR 케이시 대표님은 한국에서 거주하며 일하고 계시는 미국인 대표 입니다. 미국에서 충분한 월급을 받을 수 있는 연구자 혹은 애널리스트의 삶보다는  한국에서 탈북민들의 영어공부를 돕는 삶을 살고 있습니다. 그리고 2013년 이은구 대표님과 함께  TNKR을 세우는 등 7여년간 탈북민을 위해서 일하고 있습니다.
 외국인임에도 불구하고, 탈북민들의 교육, 자유를 위해 끊임없는 열정을 가지고 있으며,  때로는 탈북민들의 상담자로, 멘토로 혹은 후원자로 함께하고 있습니다. 

We asked Mr. Casey how we could celebrate his birthday this year. We aren't surprised when he said: "A fundraiser for TNKR. All gifts for me, except expensive cars, can be donated to TNKR."
올해 케이시 대표님께 어떻게 생일을 축하하면 좋을지 여쭤봤습니다. 너무나 당연하다는듯이,  생일축하는 TNKR을 위한 후원모금으로 하자고 이야기하였습니다.  

Together, let's make a great fundraiser for TNKR, to honor Mr. Casey's great work. No contribution to this goal is too small, and we appreciate any help in supporting TNKR to continue working with North Korean Refugees. 
케이시 대표님의 생일을 함께 축하하고자 하는 모든 분들은 TNKR의 모금활동에 참여해주세요! 모금된 후원금은 앞으로 TNKR 발전을 위해 쓰일 것 입니다.

Please watch these testimonials from TNKR volunteers, staffers, fans, donors and, of course, North Korean refugee students wishing Mr. Casey a Happy Birthday!
후원을 통해서  케이시 대표님의 생일을 축하해주세요!
이 영상에서는 TNKR스텝, 봉사자,  후원자, 그리고 학생들의 생일 축하 메세지를 볼 수 있습니다.

Happy Birthday to Casey Lartigue, co-founder of the Teach North Korean Refugees Global Education Center!
https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/casey-bday

Testimonials from: Yeonmi Park, Jang Jin-Sung, Ken Eom, Cherie Yang, Kang Nara, Eunhee Park, Sharon, Yuna Jung, Jade Kim, Chanyang, Hwang In-Cheol, John Schuldt, Youngmin Kwon, Georgene Zaydell, Injae Lee, Eben Appleton, Janice Kim, Park Eunjung and Lee Jungbin, Daniel, Han Minyoung, Joo Yeon, and TNKR staff.

Give. Educate. Learn.

TEACH NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES is a project and book club started to help people - refugees. And while it is for helping people, you'll also be having a little bit of fun doing it, that is, if you're into books.

By donating you'll get to be a part of the monthly book drawing - a chance to win a signed copy of a book written by a North Korean refugee. Books such as:

English
* Dear Leader by Jang Jin-sung
* A Thousand Miles from Freedom by Eunsun Kim
* Every Falling Star by Sungju Lee
* In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
* Under the Same Sky by Joseph Kim
* The Aquariums of Pyongyang

Korean
* Sunhee by Lee Ju Song
3층 서기실의 암호 by 태영호 (Thae Yong-ho)

And what's more? You even have a say over the book you would like to win by - emailing Casey Lartigue CJL@ alumni.harvard.edu to let him know which book you would like when you win.

Give. Educate. Learn.

To find more resources about North Korea, check the archive that TNKR is compiling.
http://teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org/2018/01/tnkr-resource-list/

We are taking baby steps in forming the TNKR YouTuber project.

A number of North Korean refugees have been starting up YouTube channels. Some YouTube channels have succeeded, some are surviving, some have died. We'd like to provide support for NK refugees as they make their way in the YouTube world. That way, they can focus on content, not on editing, translating, marketing, etc.

We are starting with Eunhee Park, a TV personality, TEDx speaker and TNKR student. We are planning on having a meeting the first week of December.

We have a couple of very specific immediate needs:

* Translators (Korean to English)

* Video editors.

Graphic designers ( to promote this project and the YouTube channels)

There will of course be many more needs later on.

Marketers (how can we spread their messages)

Fans (click like on videos, share the videos, leave comments)

Video recorders (for an occasional special recording, this should be rare).

Graphic designers.

Translators (other languages).

Fundraising https://give.lovetnkr.com/en/Youtubers

We can have multiple people in each role, to lessen the burden on anyone.

Please be aware, this will be a working meeting for people who are serious about helping with this YouTube project--brainstorming, planning, strategy, coming up with possibilities and action items.

If you want to socialize, hangout, or observe, these initial meetings won't be for you.

If you haven't done so already, please SUBSCRIBE to Eunhee Park's YouTube channel. She now has 199 subscribers, we hope to get up to 1,000 subscribers by the time we get to the planning meeting. You don't need to be in South Korea to volunteer for this, you can be anywhere in the world. If you can't participate directly, then be a fan who likes, shares, and take the challenge of recruiting 10 people to subscribe to the channels. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd7BEW8fOg3vrWaHes64hRw

This is the document we will be using, any feedback or suggestions about items to add? You can go ahead and apply, just be aware that we may update it as we develop this project. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPEJNwQSxP88oPYxPLDytqPnZoS2p17xU6TXOo16sKIlLPkQ/viewform

Originally named "English Matching," Teach North Korean Refugees has helped almost 400 North Korean refugees with adjusting to living outside of North Korea. We have done this on a tight budget, relying on our volunteers and fans. Despite our limitations, we have had a number of success stories and are a non-profit that North Korean refugees seek out.

We now have a fan who has offered us the most ambitious matching donation challenge. He says that in 2019, he will raise more money than I have for TNKR. Please accept this challenge along with me! He is in the finance industry, and confident he can twist enough arms to help us become more financially stable.

To be clear: your donations to this fundraising page will be matched. Doubled. If you give $100, it will become $200. If you give $500, it will become $1,000. If you give $5 a month, it will become $10 a month.

These donations are tax-deductible in the USA and South Korea.

If you have trouble donating via this website then contact me directly for other options. TNKR@teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org or CJL@alumni.harvard.edu

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JAPANESE

TNKR 2019 寄付額倍増チャレンジ

プロジェクトについて

もともと「イングリッシュ・マッチング」の名前で活動していた、現在のTeach North Korean Refugees は、400 人を超える北朝鮮難民の外国生活をサポートしてきました。予算が限られている中で、ボランティアやサポーターの方々のおかげでこのプロジェクトは実現しています。このような制約の中でも、私たちはいくつものサクセス・ストーリーを生み出しており、北朝鮮難民が拠り所とする非営利団体として活動しています。

一人のサポーターの方が、他の方が払った寄付金と同額を払うことで、史上最高の目標額達成を目指す寄付額倍増チャレンジを提案してくれました。彼は、私が現在用意しているTNKRの資金よりも多い額の資金を2019年の1年で調達すると宣言したのです。ぜひこのチャレンジに私と一緒に参加してください。彼は金融業界で働いており、TNKRがより財政的に安定できるようなサポートを提供するのに必要な協力を得られるはずだと確信しています。

ここで明確にしておきたいことは、このファンドレイジングでいただいた寄付は2倍になるということです。例えば、100ドル寄付すると、寄付額は200ドルに、500ドルの寄付なら1,000ドルになります。毎月5ドル寄付すれば、毎月10ドルの寄付額になります。

ここでの寄付は、アメリカと韓国において課税控除対象となります。

ウェブサイトからの寄付ができない場合は、下記メールアドレスまで直接お問い合わせください。他の寄付方法をご案内します。

TNKR@teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org または CJL@alumni.harvard.edu

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FRENCH

Le défi des dons jumelés de TNKR 2019

À propos de ce projet

Teach North Korean Refugees, initialement appelé « English Matching », a aidé plus de 400 réfugiés nord-coréens à s'adapter à leur nouvelle vie. Nous y sommes parvenus malgré un budget serré, en nous appuyant sur l'aide de nos bénévoles et de nos fans. En dépit des difficultés, notre organisation à but non lucratif a connu un certain nombre de réussites et est très recherchée par les réfugiés nord-coréens.

Un de nos fans nous a récemment lancé un défi des plus ambitieux en matière de dons jumelés. Il prétend pouvoir collecter plus de fonds que moi pour TNKR en 2019. Qui veut relever ce défi avec moi ? Ce fan, qui travaille dans le secteur de la finance, est persuadé qu'il peut nous aider à devenir plus stables financièrement.

En clair, tous les dons que vous verserez à cette page de collecte de fonds seront jumelés. Doublés. Donc si vous faîtes don de 100 $, ce montant sera au final de 200 $. Si vous donnez 500 $, 1 000 $. Un don de 5 $ par mois lui correspondra à 10 $.

Ces dons sont déductibles d'impôt aux Etats-Unis et en Corée du Sud.

Si vous rencontrez des difficultés pour faire un don via ce site, n'hésitez pas à me contacter directement pour d'autres options à TNKR@teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org ou à CJL@alumni.harvard.edu

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Brazil Portuguese

Desafio de doações dobradas da TNKR 2019

Sobre este projeto

Originalmente chamado "English Matching", o Teach North Korean Refugees ajudou mais de 400 refugiados norte-coreanos a se adaptarem a viver fora da Coreia do Sul. Fizemos isso com um orçamento apertado, contando com nossos voluntários e fãs. Apesar de nossas limitações, tivemos várias histórias de sucesso e somos uma organização sem fins lucrativos muito procurada pelos refugiados norte-coreanos.

Um de nossos fãs nos ofereceu o desafio de doação mais ambicioso até agora: Ele diz que em 2019, ele vai arrecadar mais dinheiro do que eu tenho para TNKR. Vamos lá, aceite este desafio comigo! Ele trabalha no setor financeiro e está confiante de que pode convencer gente suficiente a nos ajudar a alcançar nossa estabilidade financeira.

Para deixarmos claro: suas doações nesta página de angariação de fundos serão dobradas. Se você doar US$100, ela se tornará US$200. Se você doar US$500, se tornará US$1.000. Se você der US$5 por mês, ela se tornará US$10 por mês.

Essas doações são isentas de tributação, tanto nos Estados Unidos quanto na Coreia do Sul.

Se você tiver alguma dificuldade ao doar pelo site, entre em contato: TNKR@teachnorthkoreanrefugees.org ou CJL@alumni.harvard.edu

NOTE: Translations by the MIIS TNKR Localization Team