KPSE.SI offers jobs to the youth in three villages—Samangraya, Kubangsari and Tegalratu—in Cilegon, where the Krakatau POSCO steel mill is located. These areas in particular boast a high unemployment rate, so the creation of jobs is essential for these residents’ financial independence.

Once selected, trainees of the program perform environment management tasks such as recycling resources and managing the drainage channel at the steel mill for six months. They also participate in competency enhancement training programs such as computer training in their spare time and on weekends. Upon reaching a certain level of competency, they are usually transferred to a more stable and professional job.

Over half of the first batch of trainees were hired at the affiliate companies of Krakatau POSCO. The second batch of 26 trainees is currently receiving training provided by KPSE.SI in hopes of procuring the next available jobs.

A representative of the POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation noted, “The KPSE.SI case is considered a successful business model in that POSCO’s global corporate social responsibility business is creating jobs in local communities while improving the quality of environment management at the same time.”

The POSCO 1% Sharing Foundation is a non-profit organization that is financed by the donations of POSCO employees who contribute 1 percent of their monthly salary. The organization aims to improve the social welfare of socially neglected people, the independence of local communities in Korea and around the world and the preservation of traditional culture.

2013 POSCO Family Ethiopia Volunteer Corps
Since 2012, POSCO has been annually sending a selected volunteer group to Handode, Debeso and Adulala village, the Saemaeul Movement model communities. To differentiate with common aids, the POSCO Family Ethiopia Volunteer Corps is leading programs that reflect local needs and encourage residents’ participation.

The 2013 Volunteer Corps operated small business projects such as basket-making, needlecraft training and poultry distribution while also running a model farm to educate farming skills for onion, corn and tomato. Moreover, the volunteers improved the townspeople’s living environment by constructing a town entrance and a reservoir. The corps consistently provided a safe playground and a kindergarten to provide education for children before their entrance to elementary school. In addition, the corps implemented regular medical education about waterborne disease prevention and birth control. Through cooperation with KOICA’s joint medical team, the corps also operated a mobile hospital for the community.

Interview with a POSCO Family Volunteer
To learn more about the volunteer works, let’s listen to the firsthand stories of Ms. Youn, Ji-hye who has recently returned from community project in Adulala village, Ethiopia. She is a daughter of Youn, Hyun-sun, the Manager of Gwangyang Steelworks Iron-making Dept.

Please describe your business project in Adulala village

Among a number of business projects, we put the most efforts on ‘handicrafts business for local women’. The project is about gathering local women who are unemployed but possess skills to create handicrafts such as baskets and picture frames. In order to produce distinctive handicrafts, we varied the products in different sizes and studied craft designs with the women in the village. With such endeavor to develop the business, the local women received about 3,000 birr per month and 15,000 birr on the last month of the term. After making the largest profit, all of us had delicious lunch at a recreation forest in the neighborhood. I still have a vivid memory of them singing and dancing happily even when we came back to the village.

In what ways did you help them gain self-reliance?
Previously, the women at the village used to spend their days delivering water or looking after their children. After participating in the handicraft business, however, they now have incomes. We created savings accounts for them to save the income and prevent immediate spending. Rather than rewarding for each sale, we gave out money in envelopes once a month. Moreover, to inform the significance of common fund, we always saved 10% of sales profit in the common fund account. As a result, many women learned the joy of saving and even desired to visit banks on their payday to save their salaries. I personally felt delightful because I believe we have delivered hopes that rewards follow after hard works.

What have you learned from the volunteering activities in Ethiopia

Many overseas volunteers often say that they ‘went to offer help but rather received it’. After 14 months of volunteering, I am having the same idea. Although I was the general manager of the business, many women who were older than my age called me, ‘my mother’ as they cheered and supported my work at the local community. I truly appreciated their genuine support. Every upsetting incidents at the village, I thought about my father who is currently working at POSCO in Korea. He must had a number of aggravating moments at work but he never complained at home. As I think of my father, I stood up again from occasional difficulties. I believe that arduous environments let you realize the importance of family. It seems that my activities in Ethiopia were the most valuable experience I had in life. In the future, I will always try to move forward by recalling the valuable memories from Ethiopia.

]]> https://newsroom.posco.com/en/second-year-saemaeul-agricultural-training-centre-mozambique/ Fri, 21 Feb 2014 18:15:33 +0000 POSCO celebrates 2nd successful session of ‘Saemaeul Agricultural Training’ in Africa

POSCO celebrated the construction of a poultry farm to mark the completion of its second session of ‘Saemaeul Agricultural training’ in Mozambique.

Saemaeul Agricultural training centre marks one of the remarkable POSCO CSR activities. Inspired by ‘Saemaeul’, economic movement done in 1970’s in Korea, this training encourages solutions for poverty in African and Asian countries.

Saemaeul Agricultural training centre in Mozambique, in Manica, was founded in 2011, managed by POSCO and KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), as well as KFHI (Korea Food for the Hunger International). Over the course of a year, trainees learn about farm management and instruction of agricultural machines, among other techniques.

For the ceremony to celebrate its 2 years of successful operation, representatives of Manica came to encourage the trainees, as well as Byeongsun Cho, executive manager at KOICA and Joongsuk Park, executive manager at POSCO Africa. The event was covered by National television and radio in Mozambique.

Saemaeul Agricultural training centre aims to foster independent town models and POSCO hopes to continue these types of CSR efforts.

From 2011, POSCO brought the famous economic movement back from the past and utilized its know-hows and spirits in order to tackle poverty shadowing certain areas in Africa and Asia. ‘Hello, POSCO’ gives you POSCO’s exciting journey as a missionary of New Community Movement.

POSCO’s customized global CSR activities for different countries

Every country has different industries it needs to develop upon. For instance, Mozambique needs specialized agriculture technologies while Zimbabwe requires tailored education for the next generation farmers. New villages should be constructed for Ethiopia and New Community Movement is being adopted by the communities in Vietnam and Mongolia. POSCO listens carefully to the voices and has been giving helping hands for those who need appropriate measures to overcome currently facing difficulties. For this reason, POSCO is carefully designing New Community Movements so the communities can genuinely benefited from the corporate’s social responsibility activities in Africa and Asia.

Supporting next generation farmers’ training in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

In cooperation with the KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), POSCO is managing Agriculture Training Facilities in Mozambique and Zimbabwe, supporting those who dream of becoming proud farmers to revitalize the nations’ economy. Mr. Nelson, who is amongst the first graduates of the program, expressed his gratitude for the training he received as it changed the course of his life completely.

Before coming to this training facility, I was like a piece of white paper, with no knowledge or skills whatsoever. Now, I know how to do farming and breeding livestock. I’ve become confident of getting paid for the works I do.

Since the facilities opened their doors in February, 2012, the number of people achieving new dreams and futures is increasing in Africa. POSCO has continuously been supporting the registered students with educations for New Community Movement spirit and advanced agriculture technologies so they can economically stand on their own feet.

New Community Movement Leaders build new villages in Ethiopia

POSCO, the KOICA and Gyeongsangbuk Province jointly dispatched a volunteer group, the New Community Leaders to Ethiopia. They are visiting local villages with poor surroundings to build new fire pots and chimneys. In 2012, the News Community Leaders built about 150 fire pots in three Ethiopian villages to improve their quality of life. Also, they are teaching the people to learn how to farm, sew and breed livestock so they can have competences to earn their own livings.

Myeong-ki Hong is one of the New Community Leaders in Ethiopia. For ‘Hello, POSCO’, he shared his experience and sentiments from volunteering for the initiative.

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Q. Can you tell us about your mission in Ethiopia?

[dropcap style=”1″ size=”3″]I[/dropcap] mainly work with the locals on teaching sewing skills. The sessions are headed by an Ethiopian tutor and my job is to prepare necessary kits and set regulations for the education program. I am also in charge of accountancy to deal with banking issues. In Ethiopia, the system is not at the level you would expect and sometimes it takes more than three hours to have your turn. But, I find it quite amusing because the people working in banks are really friendly to me. Maybe they find me interesting because I am a foreigner.

Q. When did you find your stay in Ethiopia most worthwhile?

[dropcap style=”1″ size=”3″]T[/dropcap]he village and our basecamp are quite far away from each other so we need a car to move from one place to another. When we are travelling by cars, the villagers wave their hands with welcoming sentiments. It wasn’t like that when we first got here because they were not familiar with foreigners like us. The locals, who used to be uncooperative, are now working with us really well with great enthusiasm. Whenever I see this, I feel a great joy with a thought that “We are genuinely living with the locals.”

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Asia, improved living condition and quality of life

POSCO is also engaging with various parts in Asia wherever our helps are needed. POSCO is introducing a series of social responsibility activities in order to help the locals to improve their quality of life and ability for self-reliance. In Vietnam, POSCO, POSCO Vietnam, POSCO Special Steal and POSCO ICT are closely working together to construct ‘Dream Village’ in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province since 2011.

We have also established a local development education center in Jargalant in Mongolia to help nomads living in the area to maximize their profits from farming. A remote village in Indonesia was also reached by POSCO as we worked together to repair an old school and the surroundings to improve their living condition.

POSCO’s global New Community Movement has also been selected as the superb case for CSR activities. As we have witnessed above, POSCO’s kind and loving hands are embracing Africa and Asia, delivering hopes for everyone. POSCO is planning to expand New Community Movement to other regions and ‘Hello, POSCO’ will follow the track.