How a Cambodian Bride got a Korean Mother

Neanna and Sin Yeoung-sun live in Gapyeong County. Ever since the Cambodian woman moved to Korea, her mother-in-law, Shin, has been a mentor. Now she gives lectures on multi-cultural families.

¢®¨­Sin Yeoung-sun, member of the ‘Homesick Housewives’ program, and Cambodian national Vanessa Neanna are part of Gyeonggi Province’s local agriculture assocation’s mentor program. Sin visits Neanna three times a month to check how she is adjusting to her new life and discuss any personal issues she may be encountering with her Korean family. 
– G News Plus News, Hwang Jin-hwan

Sin Young-sun (56) is a member of Gapyeong County’s Homesick Housewives program in Gyeonggi Province. Her duties include visiting Vanessa Neanna (25) at her home. They are part of the mentor program for immigrants provided by the Gyeonggi Headquarters of Nonghyup (agricultural association).

Gyeonggi Province is operating the “Homesick Housewives” program to care for the immigrant community in collaboration with the local agricultural association. Fifty mentors were chosen from each district to consult with immigrants who have married into Korean families and help them adjust to their new lives.

Neanna came to Korea five years ago when she married a Korean man. Her home is in Bokjang-ri, Gapyeong-eup, a small town hidden away amid the mountains, where she lives with her four-year-old daughter Yewon and husband Lee Seok-eui (58). The cows in the stable were mooing as if to greet the guests.

– Neanna came to Korea five years ago when she got married. Her home is in the countryside at Gapyeong-eup, Bokjang-ri, where she lives with her five-year-old daughter and husband Lee Seok-eui (58) – GNews Plus News, Hwang Jin-hwan

Neanna said, “This is a small town. Not many cars come through this place, but a short walk down the road leads to a bus station and my husband takes me downtown sometimes.”

 “I was really bored at first, the village being empty and all. But the home is similar to the house I had in Cambodia. It’s quiet and I like it.”

Mentor Sin gently pats Yewon on her back as she asks her about her troubles. Sin visits Neanna four times a month to see whether she has any issues with her husband or her in-laws. Any problems that cannot be resolved at a personal level are taken to a welfare facility or other related offices.

Neanna said, “She takes care of me like a mother. It’s great that she lives so close by.” Sin eyes the baby, worried about its flu.

Neanna has been giving lectures on Cambodian culture to children from multi-cultural families. She said that she wants to study Korean society and language more to find better work.

Sin is also responsible for Pantiyung (25, Vietnam) who moved to Gapyeong six years ago. Pantiyung runs a meat store with her husband, but when she first arrived here she had trouble getting along with her in-laws.
 
Thanks to Sin’s help, things are looking up. Pantiyung said with a smile, “She came to visit everyday and taught me how to cook and gave me advice about how to deal with the family.”

Sin said, “The young immigrants want warm words of encouragement rather than financial help. They need a place to release their burdens.”

She also added that: “My experience as a mentor has taught me that mediating among family members is the most important thing.”

– Sin visits Neanna on the May 16th. They chat and discuss matters while gathering herbs. GNews Plus News Gwang Jin-hwan

Gyeonggi Province dedicates KRW 17 billion to the multi-cultural family division

There are 180 thousand foreign women living in Korea by marriage, approximately 27 percent of whom live in Gyeonggi Province.

Most women who come to Korea for marriage live in challenging conditions. According to the government, 60% of the families earn between KRW 1 million to 1.5 million a month, while 5.8% percent live on welfare, a rate higher than the general 4.2%.

The government is planning to invest a total of KRW 17 billion in twenty-four categories related to multi-cultural families. Around KRW 8.5 billion will come from government funds while 4.3 billion will come from the local government and 4.2 from smaller provincial offices.

Two thousand children from multi-cultural families will receive Korean language education and story books in their mother’s native language. Since last year, they have also been eligible for one-on-one mentoring to help their families get on their feet. On the twenty-ninth of this month there will be a singing contest for multi-cultural families. All are part of Gyeonggi Province’s program.

– Kim Bok-un, Director of Gyeonggi’s Multi-cultural Families Division
– GNews Plus News, Hwang Jin-hwan

Kim Bok-un, Director of Gyeonggi’s Multi-cultural Families Division, said, “Except for Hanam and Gwacheon, twenty-nine cities and countieshave multi-cultural family support centers and foreign resident welfare centers. As further support, we are providing a one-on-one mentoring service.

The government has prepared early education for bilingual children, door-to-door education programs, and a regular magazine for multi-cultural families. The Ministry of Labor will take part in the project by providing occupational trainingThere .

is an international marriage happiness program for multi-cultural couples put together by the cities and counties; the program consists of three sessions and runs until September. Two female immigrant/mother-in-law camps will take place towards the end of the year. 

Director Kim said, “Each multi-cultural family has problems of its own, which often depend on where the woman is originally from. We are going to develop solutions on a case-by-case basis and introduce them gradually.”

The local government will work closely with the cities and counties to keep a close eye on international marriage agents.
 
Director Kim said the following regarding the future of projects aimed at multi-cultural families: “Support and education for first-generation immigrants must evolve and be passed on to the second generation. Seventeen thousand uneducated children in the province will suffer from lost identities as they enter their teens. We are preparing a mentoring program for the emerging generation.”

– GNews Plus News | Lim Jeong-seon

http://gnews.gg.go.kr/news/news_detail.asp?number=201105171703027604C049&s_code=C048