Baby Box Has Saved Over 2,016 Newborns In The Past 13 Years

Cub-reporter Yi Kyeong-won

violet.kw.yi@gmail.com

Jusarang Community has reported that 2,016 newborns have been protected through the baby box between 2010 and September 2022. The baby box was installed in 2009 by Lee Jong-rak, a founder of the Jusarang Community. offering a warm place for unwanted babies.

Jusarang Community Church also offers a space known as the 'baby room' where single mothers can rest after giving birth. The mothers can have a consultation before leaving their baby. To encourage single mothers to raise their babies at home, Jusarang Community provides monthly pro bono 'baby care kits' for three years. The baby care kits consist of women's necessities and baby essentials such as diapers, wet wipes, baby formula, and so on. On a regular basis, around 90 to 99 households are supported with baby care kits.

On the other hand, Jusarang Community has suffered due to decreasing donations. According to the Jusarang Community Secretariat, donations have decreased by around 30%, whilst simultaneously expenditure has risen following the COVID-19 pandemic. Above all, the Secretariat added that it desperately needs more donations since the baby box scheme is maintained solely through donations, without any assistance from the Korean government.