“Let us mend your heart broken by the typhoon with our hands of love.”

On September 16, the typhoon “Nary” poured heavy rain, called record-breaking water bomb, on Jeju Island in a day and drowned the whole area. For the people in despair prior to Chuseok the Korean Harvest Festival, the IWF members on Jeju provided free meal for the volunteers who were in the middle of damage restoration activity.

Volunteers moved dishes from the most severely damaged area, Seong-hwan basement shops at Donam-dong to Samyamg beach public bath at Samyang-dong and cleaned them. 15 members of IWF cooked soup with chopped beef and various vegetables for the volunteers and the victims. They offered 150 meals along with snacks and beverages. They also helped washing polluted dishes and comforted the victims so that they could start again with hope.

On October 7, the IWF members in alliance with the Jeju Voluntary Service Center visited senior citizens living alone whose damaged houses were damaged. A total of 30 members of the IWF, including a member who is carpenter, joined in the relief efforts for the flooded area of Hwabuk-dong. Won Sun-jae the head of Jeju region of IWF explained the purpose of their volunteer efforts by saying, “There were not enough volunteers for the past restoration work for the flooded area, so we decided to participate in this relief work again.” Lee Seung-hee the Secretary General of Jeju City Voluntary Work Center expressed her thanks to the IWF volunteers who joined, instead of enjoying their holidays, and asked for continuing concern and support.

Although the typhoon passed by three weeks ago, still the weather was cloudy and rainy. Senior citizens welcomed the IWF members who visited them despite rainy weather. They were worrying about how to spend winter in the houses of which the roofs made with slate were torn off and rain drops penetrated.“Kim Jeong-saeng (81) said, “You are better than my own children who are away and busy.” The members replied, “Please regard us as your children who have come to help you,” and started to repair her house here and there. They tore off the old wall paper and repapered the walls with a new one, and propped decayed pillars and ceiling with a new post. The place regained its original neat appearance thanks to the diligent hands of the members.

The volunteer work started from the house of Kim Jeong-saeng at 10 am, and finished at 7 pm after repairing four other senior citizens’ houses. The IWF volunteers were delighted, seeing the houses repaired like new ones and the senior citizens smiling brightly. Lee Yun-sun (85) grabbed the hands of the members, saying, “I was worried about how I would be able to overwinter in this cold place which could not shut out the wind. Thank you very much. I’m relieved that you’ve made my place like a new one.” The members promised to visit them often near future, and wished them health and warm winter.