International school students have raised cash to buy coals for people living in a Korean shantytown after reading about others’ work to help them in The Korea Herald.

The students read about the 2,500 people living in makeshift huts in Guryong Village in southern Seoul while researching poverty as part of a class project at Gyeonggi Suwon International School.

After learning about Mannam International volunteers’ recent donation of 4,000 coals to help residents keep warm throughout the winter, the grade 5 students decided to raise cash for the cause.

They held an action day at their school, raising 200,000 won to buy 400 coal briquettes. They then visited Guryong on March 10 to meet Mannam volunteers and help distribute the coals to villagers, many of whom have lived on the unofficial settlement for years. Their original homes were demolished as part of gentrification projects ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Japanese student Honoka Onishi, who arrived in Korea with her family in September with no English skills at all, said: “I wanted to help them because it makes me sad to see poor people.”

The 11-year-old added: “We raised money at action day and then we bought 400 coal bricks to keep them warm. I had to carry the bricks and they were heavy. It was very hard work but it made me feel good to help them.”

And fellow student Miyabi Kamigawa, 10, added: “I felt very sad they were told to move because of the Olympics and it was 23 years ago and they still live there.

“Another reason we wanted to help is because they would be very cold in the winter and they would be freezing until about April, so I felt like I would want to keep them warm by giving them coals.”

The Japanese girl said she enjoyed working with the English-speaking Mannam volunteers to hand out coals to the Guryong residents.

And 11-year-old Korean student Jun added: “I helped them because when I first saw them in The Korean Herald I was shocked that poor people live in the town in front of one of the best apartments in Seoul. Also, I thought that every human being has to live a fair life, but they were not. So I got persuaded and tried to help them.”

Other students at the school are studying and helping an animal shelter and orphanage here, while others are aiding victims of disasters such as the Haiti earthquake and last year’s tsunami in Japan.

Their work was part of a school project to show how taking positive action can make a difference in people’s lives.

“The students looked at issues and problems in the community and then chose a topic of interest to them,” said teacher Michael Stanley. “The next step was to research organizations that help and assist with those issues and study the actions that these organizations do that make a difference.

“The students then planned a series of actions themselves, the first being an action day where they had a market day within the school to raise money for their cause.”

The students will take part in an exhibition at their school on April 16, where they will tell others about their experience.

By Kirsty Taylor (kirstyt@heraldcorp.com)