New children's shelter provides vital support

Macquarie’s Carl Jacobsohn (third from right) pictured with Mr. Lee Je Hoon, Chairman of Child Fund (second from left) and colleagues celebrate Seoul City’s first Abused Children’s Shelter opening

2 April 2018

Staff from Macquarie’s Korea office have supported ChildFund, an organisation providing local underprivileged children with safe shelter, for many years.

“ChildFund Korea addresses the four categories of child rights – survival, protection, development, and participation,” said Sunmi Kim, who has been actively involved from the beginning of the partnership.

“Like ChildFund, I believe that children have the right to grow up in a healthy and safe environment.”

ChildFund provides emergency treatment and protection, as well as intensive psychological treatment and consultation, to abused and underprivileged children. They currently run 37 shelters across Korea but until recently there was no facility in Seoul City.

Macquarie Investment Management Korea had previously donated over $A360,000 to ChildFund to assist with the running of their shelters in Kwanak, Joongrang, and Dongdaemoon, and recently contributed another $A240,000 to help open a new shelter in Seoul.

“These shelters house six to ten children at a time for six month periods,” said Sunmi.

“We wanted to support ChildFund’s work and their ambition to open a shelter in Seoul, because we know they make a real difference in the lives of underprivileged children in Korea.”

Macquarie staff in Korea supported the cause by arranging fundraising events, with proceeds matched by the Macquarie Group Foundation. Thanks to all of this support, the new shelter was opened in Seoul City in February 2018.

“Congratulations to Seoul City’s first Abused Children’s Shelter opening. We hope that children should be comfortable and safe in this shelter. As a partner of Seoul City and ChildFund, we will continue to seek ways in which we can support underprivileged children to make their dreams come true,” said Carl Jacobsohn, Director of Macquarie Investment Management Korea.

“Macquarie’s tremendous interests and support will bring hope to the abused children. Seoul City will provide support systemically for the abused children to grow up healthy,” said Ms. Lee Hyung Sook, Head of Family Division of Seoul City.