Every child deserves the opportunity to discover what they enjoy, develop their strengths, and imagine what their future could look like.
For children growing up in residential care, daily needs such as meals, housing, education, and health care are important foundations. But growing up also means having opportunities to try something new, pursue an interest, and discover what makes you unique.
At Haenam Lighthouse Home, a children’s residential care facility in South Korea, children live with caregivers, attend school, spend time with friends, and participate in activities as part of their everyday lives.
More Than a Place to Live
Seungpil Jin, who supports young people at Haenam Lighthouse Home as they prepare for independent living, says perceptions of residential care do not always reflect what he sees every day.
“Before I started working here, I also had negative impressions of residential care from what I had seen in the media. But once I began working here, I realized this is also simply a place where people live their everyday lives.”
The facility includes six residential homes as well as a library, cultural spaces, an IT room, and an indoor play area. Staff also support the children’s physical and emotional well-being through health care, counseling, and connections to additional treatment when needed.
But every child has different interests and needs—and those do not always fit within basic care.
Creating Room to Discover What They Love
Some children may want additional academic support. Others may be more interested in sports, fitness, or different activities.
Rather than expecting every child to follow the same path, staff at Haenam Lighthouse Home try to help children explore what works for them.
That is one area where sponsorship support can help.
Public funding for residential care has designated purposes and guidelines, which can make it difficult to cover every child’s individual educational, therapeutic, or extracurricular needs. Sponsorship funds can help provide additional opportunities based on a child’s individual needs and interests.
“When a child tells us they want to do something, being able to say, ‘Let’s give it a try,’ is where sponsorship support can make a real difference.”
These experiences can also help young people learn more about themselves as they prepare for life beyond residential care.
See the Child, Not the Circumstance
Jin hopes people will not define children by the fact that they live in residential care.
“Children did not choose to come here. I hope people will not look at them with pity simply because they live in a residential care facility.”
They are students, friends, athletes, learners, and young people with their own personalities, interests, and dreams.
Through child sponsorship, GFoundation works to help children access opportunities to explore those possibilities and prepare for their futures.
Help a child be known not by where they live, but by who they are becoming.
Your support helps children like Junsu and Minyoung grow in stable environments—
by meeting the essential needs that allow them to focus on learning, healing, and building their future.
| Sponsor a Child in Korea
- Become a Monthly Donor – Provide consistent, long-term support for a child’s education, emotional well-being, and daily needs—continuing through age 24 as they transition into adulthood.
