What is the Food Donation Drive?

As part of the company’s efforts to promote volunteer work among employees, POSCO-INDIA (President Mr. Gee-Woong Sung) started the “Food Donation Drive” program in December 2015, in collaboration with Delhi-NCR Foodbank. The second food drive was successfully held between January 18-23 of this year with overwhelming employee participation. The goal of this program is to provide free food to those in need to help eliminate hunger and food insecurity in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region). It is a small effort towards ending the fight against hunger and malnutrition in India.

Under this program, food collection boxes are placed at the main entrance lobby of POSCO-INDIA and POSCO-IDPC office premises for one week. Employees donate unlimited quantities of non-perishable food items such as rice, wheat flour, sugar and cooking oil. At the end of the week, representatives of Delhi-NCR Foodbank collect the donations. These food items are then used as part of the hot meals that are provided daily to approximately a quarter million vulnerable and homeless residents in Delhi and nearby regions.

A True Internal “Volunteer” Activity

Delhi-NCR Foodbank was first implemented in 2012 and is operated by the Responsenet Development Services (RDS), India. They collect food donations from individuals and corporate organizations, and redistribute them in the form of cooked meals at 30 feeding centers that provide services to the poor, homeless, charitable hospitals and orphanages.

It should be noted that the food drive contributions at POSCO-INDIA are made voluntarily by employees. The volunteering efforts come from inside the company, out of a desire to make a change and create value in the community, as well as nurture a sense of empathy. The importance of eradicating hunger and providing nutrition in India has been reiterated as one of the provisions for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in Schedule VII of Section 135 of the Indian Companies Act 2013. Also, according to Indian law, it is mandatory for companies to set aside 2 percent of their net profits for CSR activities, which is why several Indian companies chose efforts like these as a part of their CSR programs.

Interview with POSCO Employees

We interviewed employees who took part in this program. See what they had to say.

Q. How does it feel to participate in the “Food Donation Drive” program?

 Mr. Pabitra Mohan Swain, Administration Department: “I felt really happy and pleased to be part of a program that helps to fulfill one of the most important basic needs of a human being. The most memorable part for me was the way everyone came forward to help voluntarily.”

Mr. Shreenibasha Mishra, Finance Department: “I was able to share my food with someone who really needs it, which made me feel more motivated about going to work. I love that my company thinks highly enough of its employees and the things we care about to give us time and money to give back to causes we care about.”

Ms. Trupti Ray: “I do feel as if I have something special to offer to a very special cause to help others, to make a small difference in children’s lives. I remembered the gradual filling of the food basket on each day and feel happier thanks to POSCO India’s employees. It’s such a great feeling to be around other people who support the same cause that you feel strongly about.”

Q. As an employee, how do you feel about POSCO-INDIA participating in CSR activities?

Mr. Pabitra Mohan Swain: “As an employee I am proud to be a part of POSCO-India—an organization that always promotes voluntary donations, as per the vision of our Honorable CMD to ‘Donate Voluntarily’ and silently to serve the community. Since joining last year I have seen various CSR activities carried out by POSCO India and POSCO Family companies, which really inspires me as an individual.”

Mr. Shreenibasha Mishra: “Today, being in business for the sake of making profit is not enough. Customers and consumers will continue to expect good quality products and services. To a larger extent than before, people choose to work with or buy from companies that positively impact their community. Therefore, it is important to include CSR in a business’ strategic plans. It is a win-win for all involved—the company, the customers, the community and society.”

Ms. Trupti Ray: “I feel inspired, connected and hopeful working in a company like POSCO India, where employees spend their time and effort doing something good for society, and to make the world a better place.”

Apart from sharing with the underprivileged, POSCO-INDIA employees also nurture an appreciation culture within the organization by adding messages to the “Appreciation Tree” to show appreciation of other employees’ actions and behaviors. This creates a sense of oneness and fun within the workplace.

Since its establishment, POSCO has identified its corporate mission as contributing to the nation’s development, and has carried out various social responsibility activities to do so. Keeping the same spirit, POSCO-INDIA aims “for a better world” together through its small efforts in contributing to India’s society.

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One hundred twenty members of Beyond and 58 employees of the POSCO Group are laying bricks until January 17 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Tan Hoa community as part of the POSCO Village construction project.

A total of 180 volunteers from Beyond, POSCO’s university student volunteer group and the POSCO Global Volunteer Group participate in the “Vietnam POSCO Village” project at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Tan community despite the sizzling hot weather in order to provide safe living environment to low-income households.

Vietnam POSCO Village is a voluntary project initiated by the POSCO 1% Foundation, the local government and HABITAT to build a total of 85 houses and to construct water supply and sewage systems for low-income residents in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Volunteers have been supplying houses to the community where residents live under poor living conditions, and they have also been working on environment improvement activities by holding sessions to guide them on how to build and manage houses and maintain daily hygiene.

Although Beyond and the POSCO Global Volunteer Group visited the construction site on different days, each group worked under sizzling hot weather conditions to provide safe shelter for 16 households.

One hundred students from the ninth Beyond Group and 20 students from the third Vietnam Beyond Group volunteered at the construction site for 15 days, starting January 3.

The ninth Beyond Group, comprised of college students nationwide, volunteered in the local community with a focus on Pohang, Gwangyang and Seoul during May of 2015. The volunteer work at the time included repairing houses, painting murals, mentoring in English and shooting photos of active seniors enjoying life. Since then, Beyond will participate for the first time in volunteer work overseas. The third Vietnam Beyond Group is comprised of exceptional local Vietnamese students that are receiving support from POSCO TJ Park Foundation.

This year’s volunteer work holds special significance, compared to last year’s, as the volunteering duration was extended twice the length of time, allowing volunteers to participate from the very initial phase of the construction, which includes lifting and piling bricks and leveling the ground. Also, the volunteers introduced the beauty of Korean culture by displaying a wide range of cultural performances during the Korea-Vietnam Youth Culture event hosted by the local Diplomacy Center of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

Meanwhile, Youngpoong Footwear, POSCO’s material purchasing group and supplier, has donated 100 pairs of safety shoes to share support. Some of these shoes were worn by the Beyond members at the construction site for protective wear during their volunteering experience, and the remaining shoes were delivered to HABITAT so that both domestic and foreign volunteers can use the shoes while volunteering.

The third POSCO Global Volunteer Group showed a splendid spirit of sharing at a contest in which the POSCO Group employees participated, marking a record breaking competition ratio of 10 to 1. A total of 58 people, including 24 POSCO employees, 32 from the POSCO Family and 2 from outsourcing partner companies were shortlisted for the POSCO Village project which took place from January 9 to January 16. The POSCO Village project is highly significant in that it is a donor participatory volunteer project where the volunteers visit the construction site in Vietnam during their leave.

Regardless of the intensive labor work throughout the project, the volunteer groups happily participated in building houses, piling up bricks and painting colorful murals on four different walls within the village. The volunteers also created a steel playground for children to guarantee their safety and happiness.

Age means nothing when it comes to sharing! The POSCO Global Volunteer Group gives a shout out to Vietnam after deciding to use their vacation time to fly to Vietnam and volunteer.

Kihyun Shin, a POSCO E&C employee who participated in the volunteer work this year, said “My dad visited Vietnam twice as a war veteran, so my dad considers Vietnam his second home… I am deeply touched to bring warm smiles to people in Vietnam, on behalf of my dad.”

In the meantime, a dedication ceremony for POSCO Steel Bridge was held at a nearby village, DA BAC Commune, on January 14 in the midst of the service.

The POSCO Steel Bridge project aims to resolve DA BAC Commune residents’ safety and transit issues caused by the frequently flooded bridge during the rainy season. In doing so, the current bridge is being replaced with a strong steel bridge with handrails.

The Steel Bridge project is receiving favorable feedback in that the POSCO Group companies have united their capacity to the max and improved the safety of local residents in Vietnam. POSCO Vietnam carried forward a construction consent, while POSCO A&C looked after the design layout and POSCO E&C took charge of manufacturing and construction. POSCO SS-VINA provided six-ton steel bars and POSCO Vietnam Holdings was in charge of public relations on-site.

On the day of the dedication ceremony, all members of the POSCO Global Volunteer Group and Beyond, Sunwon Kim, the president of POSCO Vietnam Holdings, the president of the POSCO Group’s partner company, as well as 300 local residents and the chairman of the village celebrated the completion of the bridge construction at the site.

The Steel Bridge is expected to offer a big hand in settling the community’s endemic problems such as safety and traffic obstruction issues, which are experienced by local residents during the rainy season.

POSCO Village construction project
With the aim of providing safe living environment to low-income earners overseas, the POSCO Village construction project has completed construction of 45 houses so far since the project’s launch in 2014, and another 40 houses will be under construction this year.

POSCO Steel Bridge project
The POSCO Steel Bridge project aims to replace existing bridges with sturdy steel bridges with handrails and prevent disasters by creating deeper waterways to slow the flow velocity in flood-prone areas. This project is significant in that it is a project assembling capacities of POSCO, POSCO E&C and POSCO A&C as one.

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Ba Ria Hospital Charity Kitchen

POSCO Vietnam’s volunteer campaign, which took place in 3 areas of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, was carried out under the theme “Protect the Environment and Aid the Disheartened.” To this end, POSCO Vietnam employees visited Ba Ria Hospital on June 10 to congratulate its 30^th anniversary and serve food to its patients. Ba Ria Hospital has only 300 beds, but POSCO Vietnam prepared food for 700 people in order to serve not only the patients but also their relatives.

“This is the first time I’ve taken part in volunteer work in Vietnam,” said Mr. Yun Yang Su, a newly appointed general director of POSCO Vietnam. “It makes me happy to see the patients’ faces when they’re enjoying their food. I think they haven’t had anything to eat for hours,” he added.

“This is the most delicious food I’ve ever had since I was at this hospital. Thank you POSCO Vietnam so much for my full meal,” said Mrs. Tran Thi Tam, 69, a patient who lives 40km away from the hospital. Despite her old age, Mrs. Tam lives in a tattered home and labors day after day to make a living. Much of her hard-earned money goes into the treatment and medicine for her heart disease. The rest is spent on bare necessities. Because she does not have enough money, she eats much less than she should, and her health condition is getting worse day by day. Mrs. Tam was not the only one in such a plight, and POSCO Vietnam employees felt mixed emotions of joy and sadness while aiding the patients and their relatives at Ba Ria Hospital.

Community Repair Services at Chau Pha Commune

POSCO Vietnam also visited Chau Pha commune of the Tan Thanh district. The destitute commune was facing three problems: First, there weren’t any handrails in the neighborhood’s two bridges which made it dangerous for the locals to cross. Second, the rainy season was expected to arrive in the end of the month, but most houses in the neighborhood had leaky roofs. Last, several houses lacked sufficient lighting for daily activities and for the children to study.

Repairing the community was a challenge, but POSCO Vietnam faced it with unparalleled enthusiasm: In just one day, the volunteer team finished installing handrails for the two bridges, fixed the roofs of 5 houses, and installed lights in 10 houses.

“Today, the POSCO Vietnam volunteers worked over noon to finish these bridges,” said Mr. Tran Van Lam, a resident living near the bridge. “When it rains heavily, the bridges often get flooded and people can’t see anything. Now with the handrails installed, my children aren’t in danger anymore when traveling to school crossing this bridge. I thank the volunteers so much,” he said.

Apart from performing general repair work, POSCO Vietnam volunteers visited the family of Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, who suffered brain and leg injury while working in a factory. Though Mr. Phong labored all his life, his earnings were meager. After becoming disabled, he stays in bed and depends on his wife for survival. POSCO Vietnam employees promptly visited the Phong residence after hearing about Mr. Phong’s plight. They fixed the leaky roofs and concreted the walls with thick nylon in case of heavy rain. They left with promises to come back in the near future to build an adequate home for Mr. Phong and his family.

Cleaning Up Long Hai Beach – the newly discovered beach of Vung Tau City

Long Hai is a newly discovered beach at Ba Ria-Vung Tau province with beautiful transparent water which attracts thousands of tourists who come and enjoy every weekend. It would have been nice if these tourists enjoyed the beach without any environmental consequences, but the truth is that they leave a lot of garbage and waste such as plastic cans, nylon bags, and paper.

Although Long Hai is 50km away from the POSCO Vietnam office, it did not stop the enthusiastic volunteer team from jumping in to pick up the waste and garbage along the beach.

“It was so hot today, so we arrived early to collect the waste and garbage,” said Mr. Huy, POSCO-Vietnam’s manager of Training and Education Team. “Our goal was to raise awareness of protecting the environment to the local people and the tourists,” he said.

Moving Forward For a Better World

POSCO Vietnam aims to build a “POSCO Village” this year at the at the resettlement area of Tan Hoa commune in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Beginning in September 2014, the planned project consists of 85 houses for people in need to be built within the next two years.

For POSCO Vietnam, doing business does not simply mean generating profit. Quoting general director Yun Yang Su’s comments on corporate citizenship: Cultivating ties with the local community via practical CSR activities is equally important, making the company mature with stable growth.

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◈ What is ‘POSCO Global Volunteer Week’ ?

The Global Volunteer Week, starting in 2010, is hosted to settle in sharing as a corporate culture within POSCO, as a global corporate citizen, and is POSCO`s unique social contribution activity to globally increase POSCO Family`s sense of belonging and pride.

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In Korea, POSCO employees engaged in various volunteer work: Some helped agricultural communities in Pohang and Gwangyang, while others participated in building homes with Habitat for Humanity and in ‘Clean Ocean Volunteers’, POSCO’s sea environment preservation volunteer initiative. Some also volunteered to preserve our cultural heritage at Gyeoungju, a city of much historical significance. CEO Kwon Ohjoon also volunteered to deliver lunch boxes to neglected elders living alone at permanent rental housing for the poor.

Now, let’s have a look at what POSCO employees around the globe did to help their local communities in this 2014 POSCO Global Volunteer Week!

Indonesia Krakatau: Repairing Schools and Religious Facilities

[POSCO Indonesia team helped repair schools and religious facilities]

POSCO employees at Krakatau, Indonesia visited local schools and religious sites to help improve the conditions by cleaning, painting and repairing the buildings. Props to team Indonesia!

China Qingdao: Warmhearted Caring for Deaf Children

[POSCO China had a meaningful time with deaf children]

In China, POSCO employees cared for deaf children and helped improve the living conditions of ethnic Koreans.

Malaysia MKPC: Remodeling Welfare Center for the Elderly

[Employees at POSCO Malaysia helped remodel a welfare center for the elderly]

POSCO Employees at Malaysia MKPC pulled up their sleeves to remodel a nearby center for senior citizens and clean up local schools. Kudos to POSCO Malaysia for their hard work in spreading love to the community!

POSCO Japan – Cleaning the Streets & Bazaar Event

[POSCO Japan employees cleaned the streets around Nagoya Castle]

POSCO Japan employees cleaned up the area around Nagoya Castle and Arakawa River. They also held a bazaar event for the physically challenged. “I had a meaningful time aiding and caring for the physically challenged during the bazaar event. I’m looking forward to more opportunities to do volunteer work,” said Takimoto Mami, a JEPC employee who participated in the event. “It makes me feel happy and proud to be a part of POSCO when I see my fellow employees actively participate in volunteer work year after year,” said Jung Min Kim, a JEPC employee who oversees global volunteer work.

POSCO Vietnam: Charity Kitchen

Also, POSCO Vietnam employees helped out a charity kitchen run by a nearby hospital. They delivered the food to people living in poverty-stricken areas. Aren’t you hungry for more interesting episodes? Hello, POSCO blog’s next post will be a close-up story of the Vietnam volunteer work experience with commentaries from POSCO Vietnam employee. Stay tuned!

The POSCO global family had a meaningful time in their respective locations during 2014 POSCO Global Volunteer Week. POSCO will continue its efforts to spread the love as a responsible corporate citizen.

Indonesia has a rich amount of tropical resources focusing on agricultural development. While the nation has had expanded trade surplus and has a rich amount of natural resources, Indonesia still has poor education systems where only one third of instructors have completed a college education. POSCO and its employees have made efforts to improve the education system in hopes to help build the future for Indonesian children.

Dreaming of joyous schools in Indonesia! About POSCO’s education improvement project

Krakatau POSCO has been funding education improvement projects led by ChildFund Korea. In partnership with ChildFund Indonesia,  POSCO has helped set up schools in villages near steelmills called Samangraya, Kubangsari and Tegalratu.

Pictured here: POSCO employees planting flowers with students in Indonesia

Overall, there were four programs included under the slogan “Sekolah Asik” which means “joyous schools”. The programs included: 1) Training program for educators, 2) Voluntary programs for students, 3) Education infrastructure improving program, and 4) Volunteer opportunities for employees of Krakatau POSCO.

[box] What is Krakatau POSCO? Krakatau POSCO was jointly established by POSCO and Indonesia’s state-run Krakatau Steel at a share ratio of 7 to 3, and boasts iron making, steelmaking, and steel plate production facilities. The company is capable of producing 1.8 million tons of slab and 1.2 million tons of steel plate annually. It is especially noteworthy as it is the first integrated steel mill that was established by POSCO in Southeast Asia. It was a new milestone in overseas steelworks construction as it involved various POSCO businesses in different fields including construction, power generation, and IT. POSCO is planning to operate steelworks in Indonesia to create a steel belt that connects China, Vietnam, Indonesia and India in order to target the entire Southeastern Asia region.[/box]

More about the education improvement programs in Indonesia!

Since last September, education environment improving activities have started in Krakatau POSCO that specifically target schools near the steel mill. Krakatau POSCO has participating in volunteer projects in efforts to support poor education conditions in Indonesia. Let’s explore the different types of work that POSCO employees have been involved in so far.

Improving qualification of instructors and increasing student participation!

Currently, less than one third of instructors have completed college education in Indonesia. Thus, improvement of the qualification of instructors is a major issue. To address this, Krakatau POSCO has created a training program for educators in order to improve their teaching capabilities. This program is in line to be expanded for total 6 schools and 120 students in 2014 by request of schools nearby.

Pictured here: A student in Indonesia holds up a picture that portrays the type of school she dreams of

Pictured here: Krakatau POSCO’s director, Kyung Joon Min, participates on one of the volunteer days in Indonesia

Pictured here: POSCO volunteers and children participating in an athletic competition

In addition, volunteer programs for students were created in order to give students a chance to trade positions and actually take part in education improvement projects. To raise awareness among students, students were asked to provide suggestions for areas to improve. Through discussion, students got involved in deciding and ultimately participating in volunteer work.

Improvements to education infrastructure and volunteering

Conditions at schools near Cilegon which is where the steel mill is located are very poor. In fact some schools do not have any desks so students participate in classes from the floor. There are no washroom facilities at school so students must go to nearby homes. Schools that are funded by the government are relatively better, but privately funded schools are in dire conditions.

Pictured here: Krakatau POSCO employee teaching children how to wash their hands

Krakatau POSCO is addressing these harsh school infrastructure conditions by providing desks, school materials and even building bathrooms, libraries and other education infrastructure. Going forward, employees at Krakatau POSCO plan to participate in volunteer programs at these schools.

Pictured here: Making improvements to the education infrastructure in Indonesia

Surprising changes made through improving the education environment

Three schools in the area of Cilegon are now witnessing many positive changes due to education improvement projects led by Krakatau POSCO. As instructors have learned various teaching methods and new skills, the 1,071 students at the three schools are now much happier and participate more in class as well!

Here is a short video highlighting the positive influence that Krakatau POSCO has had on the education system in Indonesia.

Below are feedback from those impacted by the education improvement projects in Indonesia.

Pictured here: POSCO employees with students

Webi Andriansah (Employee in the Environment & Energy department at Krakatau POSCO): Students made me feel like I was a big brother to them. Also they asked many questions about my job, experiences of school, family etc. I felt many emotions when I shook hands with student after the class. This activity was not only a new experience to students but it also affected my life values and mind!

Ana Siva Urrohmah (6th grade student): I’m a student of SDN Samangraya Ⅱ. I’m so happy and thankful for the classroom that my friends and I can use. I’m curious about how the new classrooms will incorporate our opinions and I am sure it will make our educational experience more joyful. In addition, now that we have sports equipment, we can now participate in events that we previously could not join in.

Waldatun TH (Teacher at SDN Tegal Kidondong ): The training program I participated in was a great opportunity to share opinions and ask questions freely. The program supporters answered questions so actively even during lunchtime or afternoon breaks. I got confidence by being able to actually apply methods that I learned through this program in the classroom!

We hope you enjoyed our blog post about the efforts that Krakatau POSCO is making in Indonesia to improve the education experience for students! POSCO is building a better, brighter future for the younger generation!

Today, as a proud member of POSCO Family and a Global Storyteller, I would like to introduce POSCO Japan’s various activities over the past few months.

Cleaning Up Arakawa Riverside

In line with the POSCO Volunteer Week in May, POSCO Japan participated in the global campaign to make the world a better place to live together. On May 25th, POSCO Japan’s employees and student volunteers visited Arakawa, a town located on the outskirt of Tokyo, to clean up the riverside.

A total of 80 volunteers gathered up from the early Saturday morning. When the roll-call was finished, we were briefed about the safety cautions and how the day’s cleaning session would go ahead, as the site was right next to the river.

Three bin bags in different colors and a list were given to each of us to find out what kind of trashes were collected from the River Arakawa. This would be useful for us and the local community later on to figure out ways to prevent the riverside from further pollution.

It did not take long before we found all sorts of trashes around the River Arakawa. We splited into groups and each group took charge of different sections to clean up the area more efficiently. It was not an easy task at first, but soon, smiles flowed amid the POSCO volunteers’ faces as we realized what we were doing would beautify the environment.

Streets of Ginza Receive Cares From POSCO Japan

POSCO Japan is also engaging with local community to save the environment. On every Thursday, a number of POSCO Japan employees gathered up to take care of the flowerbeds near the POSCO Japan’s office in Ginza, Tokyo.

I also participate in this volunteer work regularly. After planting flowers and cleaning up the street corners, the place looks much livelier than before. After we completed planting the flowers and cleaning up the street corner, the place looked so much livelier than before.

Japanese and Korean Employees Celebrating the Beginning of Hot Summer Together

As the hot summer is starting to set in, POSCO Japan held a small event at our office to celebrate Korea’s ‘Chobok Day’ on July 12th. According to the lunar calendar, Chobok Day indicates the beginning of hot summer and Koreans eat certain cuisine, such as stuffed chicken soup or fresh fruits, which is regarded to be good for health, especially in summer.. We decided to eat the watermelons from Kumamoto area, which is famous for its great taste in Japan.

In Japan, we also have a similar day called ‘Doyo No Ushi No Hi,’ so it was not that unfamiliar concept for us. Also, it was quite amuzing to learn about the similar traditions we shared between Japan and Korea. All the members working at POSCO Japan joined the watermelon party and had a great, fun time together.

As we have both Japanese and Korean employees here in POSCO Japan, we get to experience each other’s culture and share thoughts. For me, it is a precious opportunity to learn more about Korea. POSCO Japan will continue having various activities for the local communities and will keep tightening the bonds amonst coworkers. And I will also update you with more special stories of POSCO Japan, here at Hello, POSCO.

Since 2007, POSCO has been contributing to societies in need through various social activities through 100 selected university students. Every year, the “Beyond”, POSCO’s volunteer group of undergraduate students, is working diligently to provide warm and comfortable homes for the less fortunate across Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and other places.

Like any other hardworking year, the Beyonders went to a small town called ‘Bawana’, located in the northwest of India’s capital Delhi. From February 2nd, the Beyonders volunteered to build lovely houses for people living in the area. Let’s introduce you to their 12 days of not only giving, but also learning.

POSCO Beyond 2nd visit to Bawana

Bawana was the place where the 1st Beyonders visited to build their very first housing project in 2008. During their stay, around 100 university students worked hard to present 10 new homes for the Bawana people. For this year, 110 students from 52 universities gathered, led by ten Beyond-alumni students from last year’s project as leaders. Before all the hammerings and brick layings began, the Beyonders initiated their visit to India by a series of orientations to learn about India through “India’s Habitat” activities. It really helped them to understand the entire project.

Two weeks journey in India

From the moment of arrival, the Beyonders were shocked by the awful smell coming from the rubbish all over town. Some kids were even walking on dirty and muddy grounds with their bare feet. The living conditions of Bawana were poorer than anyone expected as most of the people were living in ghetto-like places with tents covering the walls and ceilings. It was obvious that the place was vulnerable to the wind and rain.

The Beyond’s mission was to demolish ten old houses and build new and strong alternatives. The Beyonders were in groups of 10, teams to engage every stage of building the houses from flattening the ground to painting the walls.

After hours of diggings and knocking down walls, local kids who were at first hesitative came and showed friendliness. With several English phrases and desperate body language exercised by the Beyonders, the kids seemed to be quite entertained and amazed as we could see from their laughs and smiles. After witnessing the children smiling so brightly and following the volunteers, we realized why movements like “Beyond” were needed.

Everyone was pretty much exhausted when the volunteer were halfway through their tight scheduled activity, a reliable reinforcement arrived – Yong Won Yoon, Chairman, Managing Director of POSCO-India, and POSCO’s local employees. They expressed their appreciations for the Beyonders coming to India for the project. Everyone was now motivated with the same cause and went full speed ahead for the construction.

On February 10th, the Beyonders took a brief rest as it was the Lunar New Year. They visited The Taj-Mahal and wished a happy New Year for their families back in Korea.

Finally, the volunteer works for building the new homes were complete. A ceremony was held to celebrate those who would be living in the houses. Not only the Beyonders, but also local staff, families with new homes and the Bawana people attended the event at the town hall with a great festive atmosphere. While the ceremony was enjoyed by everyone, there was an infectious grin on the Beyonders’ faces as they left all the tiresome memories from hard works.

Interviews with volunteers

Kim Jin-ho, PR Group of Daewoo International

Q) What motivated you to join the POSCO Beyond?

Kim: About three or four weeks before I came here, the team leader of POSCO’s social contribution team recommended this program. I thought it would be a great chance as it was quite rare to work with POSCO and the project itself seemed to be a good opportunity to gain fantastic experiences related to my work in the PR department. Also, we could show to the media that POSCO’s affiliates are working horizontally and generating positive synergy effects volunteer activities.

Q) How do you feel after witnessing “Beyond”?

Kim: It’s not an everyday opportunity to work with university students and I feel great as if I’m receiving some positive energy from them. It feels wonderful being away from desk and doing “Beyond” activities so now I can go back to Korea filled with good spirit.

Q) Do you have anything to say to 100 Beyonders?

Kim: I have had experience working with human resources teams before. What I felt back then, was that there were so many talented youngsters. That’s probably why corporations prefer the talents with special experiences. As an older brother or sister, what I want to tell you guys is, work hard and study hard. But don’t forget to forge yourself with this kind of special activities. Go Beyond~!

Abitra, POSCO-India’s local employee

Q) How well is POSCO known in India?

Abitra: Although it is not as high as in Korea, after 7 years of POSCO’s operation in India, the corporation’s recognition has become much higher in comparison to two years ago.

Q) What is it like working with Koreans?

Abitra: Indians and Koreans have different styles. As we are from different countries, our language habits vary quite dramatically. However, as we now understand each other, it is not regarded as a major barrier.

Q) You volunteered to work here today. How do you feel?

Abitra: It feels great. By participating in this volunteer work, I’ve realized how important it is for corporations to oblige social responsibility. I enjoyed working here and meeting new people as well. Also, I truly appreciate the Korean university students who came all the way to India. I hope this will play a positive role for their future.

Rajina, a resident of Bawana

Q) What was it like before you had a new house?

Rajina: We had to move here because the place we were living was to be redeveloped. It’s been about 7 or 8 years since we settled here. We had to live in a house made of hays.

Q) What is your impression and image of the Beyonders?

Rajina: It’s been so much more supportive than the helps from the locals or other people. I’m really thankful because they treated us well and did all the dirty works without hesitations.

Q) Anything you want to say to the Beyonders?

Rejina: I’m overwhelmed with gratitude I am left speechless. I’m really touched by the Beyonders’ hard works here.

A letter from Nadeem’s family, ‘Building the House of Love’ beneficiary

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POSCO’s University Volunteer Group, “Beyond” has been successfully and actively taking part in an altruistic “Habitat” movement since 2007. Every season starts with 100 university volunteer students who are carefully selected out of 50 universities through 1:10 competition rate, and the team lasts for 12 months in total. Currently, “Beyond” is in midst of its sixth season. As the name, “Beyond” suggests, the aim of the group is to excel further and greater as to grow as Korea’s future leaders with charitable spirits in mind, and ultimately as global leaders. Beyond’s main projects include building/restoring homes for the homeless community, raise awareness on the importance of proper housing support and various types of fun and meaningful fund raisers both in Korea and abroad (India, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Nepal, etc.). Through the activities in Beyond, students learn the value of friendship, neighborhood, community, and hard work.[/box]

“Beyond” the Builder

From 12th to 20th of last July, “Beyond” and “Habitat for Humanity Korea” initiated a volunteer trip to Chuncheon, located to the north of Seoul, for three nights four days. It was a mission to build houses, where 100 “Beyonders” were divided into groups, each responsible for different tasks such as; working on sidings, rooftops, setting up scaffolds and placing housing exterior walls. It was a chance to appreciate the various architectural processes involved in building houses.

First, ‘Siding’ is a building’s exterior skin material, which completes the exteriors of the house. During the process, there were moments when lines were often crocked and overall measurements were incorrect. However, the rooftop worked itself to be a charmer, partly due to the beautiful scenery of the surroundings from the work area. Lumbers are placed on a truss where eventually it becomes the roof’s frame. The entire project could go wrong by spacing just one lumber differently. The Beyonders’ legs shook in relief after returning to land after a long day’s work on such high rooftop.

Another task was working with something called, a ‘Scaffold,’ which is a temporary foothold structure that supports the entire operation. At first, there were some worries considering the lack of experience in handling scaffolds from the Beyonders. However, the on-site director encouraged them with advices and kind words, and they were able to finish the job successfully.

It was unfamiliar experience for many Beyonders, but they’ve managed to complete their housing project by eagerly learning on site. Filled with passion, dedication, soaking sweat and heat, the experience of those four nights was something unforgettable to the Beyonders. Every summer, the sound of construction sites and their continuous hammering will remind them of this valuable memory.

Beyonders go global this Feb.

After the hard volunteer work with the construction, all the Beyonders’ hearts filled with warmth more than ever. Where spirit floods in passion, “Beyond” will work continuously long after that summer has gone. But our mission isn’t completed yet for this year! This February the Sixth official Beyonders group is departing to India on a volunteer trip. Again, their task is to build houses in supporting developing communities. Be alert about the next activities of “Beyond”, which you’ll be able to find here at Hello POSCO. See You Soon!