Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism
In order to establish a happier society based on the Buddhist spirit of compassion, the Jogye Order has vigorously participated in social welfare activities, which can generally be divided into two categories: fundraising activities for the public good and the actualization of Buddhist social welfare.
The Dreaminus Foundation
The Dreaminus Foundation is a fundraising organization that was established to expand the culture of donating to others and to support diverse activities for the public good. The Foundation is active largely in four areas: research projects to expand the culture of donating; support projects to provide relief for victims of disasters and accidents inside and outside Korea; financial support projects to enhance the quality of life for the alienated; and distribution projects to use and manage raised funds.Borigaram Agriculture Technical College in Tanzania
The Dreaminus Foundation established an agricultural technical college in Tanzania, a project that began in September 2013 and was completed in September 2016. Located in a village in the Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania, this college is the first specialty school established by a Buddhist community to cultivate leaders in agriculture. The college functions to help Tanzanian youth to become self-reliant, and the Dreaminus provides various forms of active support. In addition, the Dreaminus Foundation is also mobilizing other welfare and educational projects to develop remote villages in Tanzania and to improve children’s environment.The Korean Buddhist Foundation for Social Welfare
In an effort to promote the social welfare of the people through professional help, the Jog ye Order of Korean Buddhism established the Korean Buddhist Foundation for Social Welfare (hereafter “Foundation”) in 1995. It currently operates 180 facilities based on Buddhist philosophy, targeting diverse social classes, including the elderly, the handicapped, children, youth, multicultural families, and singleparent families. Having received severalpresidential citations based on multiple management evaluations, the Foundation receives praise in the field of social welfare services. The activities of the Foundation do not stop at simply op erat ing facilities. It puts in great effort to build infrastructure to maintain systematic and continual welfare projects, which extends to strengthening its expertise in social welfare activities.
Management of social welfare facilities
The Foundation establishes and operates social welfare facilities across the nation, thereby functioning as a bridge for the Jogye Order and regional temples to fulfill their social functions for regional societies. Through these activities, the Foundation reduces the number of regions that lack welfare programs and contributes to the expansion of social welfare.Training and supporting volunteers
The Foundation operates Buddhist Volunteer Service Centers to support systematic and specialized volunteer activities. Volunteers cultivated through this specialized training are active in nationwide facilities and hospitals in such varied fields as Buddhist chanting, stimulating bone and meridian systems through massage, house repair, and music therapy.Education and training to enhance the quality of social welfare
In order to enhance the expertise of the social welfare workforce in the Buddhist community, including the Foundation’s affiliated organizations, the Foundation operates training programs, both online and in person, for different job positions and functions. It trains: facility heads, frontline workers, new employees, daycare teachers, accounting personnel, etc. The Foundation also holds workshops specifically for other foundations under the Jogye Order and their facility heads.Supporting the low-income bracket
Through the fundraising project titled “Compassion Sharing Campaign,” the Foundation gives financial support to provide a means of livelihood and education for the marginalized, and provides support in other activities like sharing food, daily necessities, and cultural events. Since 2001 the Foundation has made continual efforts to raise funds to support and cover the medical bills for the children with incurable diseases. This is a major project of the Foundation which practices respect for life and sharing compassion.International cooperation with relief projects
The Foundation’s activities extend beyond Korea. In Laos, which has an impoverished medical and educational environment, the Foundation supports the treatment of children with incurable diseases, runs after-school programs, and supports the sound development of Laotian children. In collaboration with organizations like the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Korea NGO Council for Overseas Development Cooperation (KCOC), the Foundation is involved in welfare projects tailored to regional characteristics and needs, including projects to reduce the risks of natural disasters and provide humanitarian aid.Emergency relief from disasters
With its disaster emergency relief activities, the Foundation has received much public attention. Its first actions in this endeavor began in 1996 when it provided relief to areas hit hard by local torrential downpours. And in 2005, the Foundation officially launched the Jogye Order Emergency Relief Organization. Since then, the Organization has extended its compassionate assistance to numerous people by providing needed goods, dispatching medical teams, and assisting in emergency reconstruction activities following major disasters in and out of Korea, including the Sewol Ferry disaster in 2014, the great Haiti earthquake in 2010, and the great Nepal earthquake in 2015.Research and development of Buddhist social welfare programs
To actualize Buddhist social welfare programs based on the Buddhist spirit of compassion, the Foundation is dynamically active in research and development. It performs investigative research on the entire spectrum of Buddhist social welfare activities by conducting surveys of Buddhist social welfare foundations and facilities, and by hosting academic forums. In sync with the rapidly changing social environment and welfare trends, the Foundation also does research to establish a more precise concept of Buddhist social welfare and to secure enhanced expertise.