Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Speaking to New Members of KOICA...

Today, June 22nd, I had an opportunity to speak to the new members of KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), Korea's international volunteer organization. With them, now KOICA has over 40 volunteers serving in Rwanda.

Most of them were young, but one member was over 60 years old and Rwanda is is the 6th country to which he has been assigned. After he retired more than a decade ago from the government post related to forestment management, he had been serving in 5 other countries, such as Indonesia, Guatemala, before his assignment to Rwanda. It was refreshing to see someone like him, knowing that many people of his age in Korea are wasting their experiences and expertise because the society is not prepared to accept them as work forces. Most of them give in to the societal norm, but Mr. Kim was different. He had a spirit of overcoming the challenges with progressive solutions. His spirit was high and his attitude was proactive.

There was another lady who appeared to be in her 40's. But she remained quiet and I could not learn more about her.

I talked about microfinance and UOB for an hour. After a question and answer session, I also talked about various other topics, such as Communication 101, Life Productivity Formula, Life Qudrants for Balanced Life, Priority Management.

It is always encouraging to interact with young people. May they bring constructive value to Rwanda through their services. - Jeffrey

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