Aid worker educates Koreans to heed cry for help from refugees

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The Syrian refugee crisis is unlikely to subside in the near future given the tight grip of extremist group Islamic State (IS) on the territory and its people, according to an aid worker who recently visited the Turkey-Syria border.

Han Bi-ya, head of the School of Global Citizenship, established
by the humanitarian group World Vision, poses at Ewha Women's University in Seoul on Sept. 4. / Korea Times

"Whatever you think, the group is much more influential than that. The group isn't any different from a full-fledged state in terms of its influence and system," Han Bi-ya, a travel writer-turned-aid-specialist, said during an interview with The Korea Times on Sept. 4 at her office in Seoul.

"There are the judicial, administrative and legislative bodies in place there, and the group has collected sufficient financial resources from its taxpayers. The Western media appears to downplay the IS, describing it as a ridiculous or insignificant group. But it exerts considerable influence there, and its campaign to recruit fighters mostly from the West has proved to be effective."

Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, Han, who is also a doctoral student in humanitarian assistance at Ewha Women's University in Seoul, has become interested in the welfare of the refugees there.

Han, 57, went to the southeastern part of Turkey during the summer break after she successfully contacted a European nongovernmental organization operating near the Turkey-Syria border for a short-term volunteer position. She returned to Seoul in late August.

Han Bi-ya smiles at a baby during emergency relief activities in Zimbabwe in 2008. / World Vision

Since 2001 when she joined the humanitarian group World Vision as head of the emergency relief team, Han has traveled annually to countries trapped in humanitarian crises. Her first overseas mission was in war-torn Afghanistan. She accompanied her team to remote provinces and cities where tens of thousands of landmines had been laid by Soviet and other foreign and domestic forces that were engaged in war there in the past.

Han and her fellow aid workers provided free meals and clothing for the needy people. She said that experience made her realize that international aid workers face a variety of risks while performing their duties. After Afghanistan, she traveled to Iraq, Sierra Leon, the Philippines, Latin America, and Africa for emergency relief work.

Han said she saw a clear change in the Korean public's attitudes toward global issues before and after she joined World Vision. When she began as an aid worker at the organization, she said she had to deal with a lot of skepticism. "People were asking me why we needed to care about suffering people outside the country when there were lots of people who needed a helping hand in our own country," she said.

Han Bi-ya with a Yazidi woman and girl in front of a refugee camp in the southeastern part of Turkey near the Turkey-Syria border in August.
/ Han Bi-ya photo

"Recently, however, I met many people who were willing to share their money or time for the needy people overseas. Some of them gave me cash and said they'd like to be part of the humanitarian effort to save the lives of people suffering outside the country. People have changed a lot."

In 2009, she quit the relief team manager position but continued to work with the organization as principal of its School of Global Citizenship in Seoul. The school is an educational arm of the humanitarian group that aims to provide awareness programs and activities to help the Korean public increase their understanding of different cultures and global issues.

Life-changing essays

Before joining World Vision, Han was a public relations specialist and prolific writer, focusing on stories about her off-the-beaten track travels. She became a famous writer after her four-volume travel essay series, "Daughter of the Wind, Three and Half Times around the Globe on Foot," sold millions of copies.

World Vision opened the School of Global Citizenship in 2011 to raise Koreans' awareness of global humanitarian issues. Han Bi-ya has served as head of the institution since its beginning. / World Vision

The first book in the series, which detailed her experiences during a thee-year trip to Africa and the Middle East, was released in 1996. It was followed by the second volume about her travels in Latin America, the third volume about her travels to Central and Southeast Asia and the fourth volume about her travels to China and Mongolia.

In those books, she described in great detail her encounters with poor, good-natured and open-minded locals, who welcomed the foreign backpacker with open arms and treated her like an old friend. Although she was unable to communicate freely with many of them because of language barrier, she said she felt their warmth. She said language barrier didn't get in the way of becoming friends with them.

The heartwarming stories in the books made the series very popular. The series was published when the nation was going through the Asian Financial Crisis — the worst crisis the country has experienced since its independence from Japan in 1945.

Han Bi-ya speaks with an African man in this 2011 photo during emergency relief activity in South Sudan. / World Vision

The government implemented a set of reforms in banking, labor and corporate governance, which resulted in massive layoffs, an austere budget, and high unemployment. College graduates struggled to find jobs, while employees felt insecure about their jobs owing to the flexibility of the labor market and the replacement of permanent jobs with unstable ones.

Pessimism swept the nation as people found it difficult to lead decent lives.

Han's travel essays inspired people, especially those who were hit hardest by the crisis, to move from pessimism to hope, to search for opportunities despite the tough economic reality.

College students and recent graduates went backpacking to foreign countries, particularly lesser-known countries, as Han did. Some job holders, who were worried about their worsening working conditions, were motivated to take the risk of changing careers to follow their heart. Many of these readers sent letters to the publishing company.

The left photo shows the cover of Han Bi-ya's travel essay book, "Daughter of the Wind, Three and Half Times around the Globe on Foot." In her latest essay, "1 Gram of Courage," at right, Han says that small amounts of courage are needed by indecisive people so they can gain more courage to move their plans forward.

"Some of them said they were impressed by me because I took every step necessary to fulfill my childhood dream of traveling all over the world. They said they were encouraged to pursue their dream after reading my books," she said. Han said she was surprised to see such an amazing response from millions of readers.

Her book project had a humble beginning. She used to contribute travel essays to a monthly women's magazine to earn enough for living expenses during her first trips to Africa and the Middle East. The money she earned covered 20 to 30 percent of her travel expenses.

In 1996, three years after she embarked on her journey to the continent, Han returned to Korea. She became sick because the numerous malaria vaccine shots she received before her trips damaged her liver. She decided to take a three-month break before she began her journey to Latin America.

According to her, the unnamed editor-in-chief of the monthly magazine to which she contributed her stories approached her and asked if she could work on a book of travel essays.

"I initially turned it (the proposal) down because I had never thought of writing a book. But she persuaded me to go for it because she knew that I kept a journal every day wherever I went and said the book project wasn't going to be demanding, as I already had enough stories to write about. The first book was published just like that and soon became a best seller."

The travel essay series changed her life as well, turning her into a celebrity travel writer and speaker. She became popular particularly among young people, who considered her as a good mentor and life coach.

And perhaps more importantly, her extensive experiences in numerous countries, especially poor ones, opened the door for a career as a relief worker.