Graduates from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda become ‘Saemaul Leaders’ back home
Providing support for Saemaul departments at local universities and looking to establish YU Africa alumni associations
[June 3, 2019]
YU (President Sur Gil-soo) is sowing seeds of hope in the African continent that they too can be economically affluent like Korea. The field they are sowing the seeds in are Tanzania that surround the second largest lake in the world, Lake Victoria. The stewards of the field are alumni from these three nations who graduated from the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul.
The YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul graduated 29 master’s degree holders in Saemaul sciences for the first time in the world in August 2013, and since then, a total of 530 students from 61 countries around the world graduated. Among them, 191 were from 24 countries in Africa, with 25 from Tanzania, 10 from Kenya and 20 from Uganda for a total of 55 YU Park Chung Hee School master’s degree holders from the African nations surrounding Lake Victoria. The reason why these people who mostly were already political and social leaders in their countries before setting off for studies in Korea was because they had the goal of contributing to the economic development of their home countries. And they are now filled with hope that they may finally achieve their goals.
YU External Affairs Office Director Heo Chang-deok visited this field of hope in late May. They first visited Sengerema District, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. What stood out the most was the Saemul Undong flag and sign. Former Mayor of Sengerama Mathew N. Lubongeja (54), who returned home after earning his master’s degree in Saemaul studies in February 2018, organized a Saemaul women’s association and transformed 1.5 hectares (15,000m2) of abandoned land near Lake Victoria into farmland for cassava, pineapples, cashew nuts, and corn. They did not have proper irrigation facilities such as pumps and had to fetch water from Lake Victoria with buckets to farm, the faces of the residents who welcomed Mr. Heo were filled with hope. These people were convinced that they would soon have bigger land to farm and would be able to send their children to school, and they welcomed Mr. Heo and the other visitors with a song that they added ‘Saemaul Undong’ lyrics to an African folk song.
The next destination was a small rural village about 2 hours by car from Entebbe, Uganda. Again, Saemaul Undong flags and signs welcomed Director Heo and his team at the village that they arrived in after traveling an unpaved and narrow uphill road. Residents wearing Saemaul Undong vests thanked the visitors saying that the overall income of the town increased significantly after learning the Saemaul Undong to raise cattle, take milk, and grow pineapples and flowers.
YU External Affairs Office Director Heo Chang-deok (Department of Sociology, 53) who was welcomed passionately by the residents said, “I once again truly feel that Korea’s Saemaul Undong is developing into the world’s Saemaul Undong,” and added, “We should not stop the Saemaul Undong until everyone in the world can live prosperously together. YU will also take research and education more seriously to train global leaders of the Saemaul Undong.”
As part of such efforts, YU is looking to export the Department of Saemaul Studies to Africa following the Philippines and Cambodia. For this, YU signed an MOU with Sokoine University of Agriculture, which is a national university located in Morogoro, Tanzania during this visit. Sokoine University President Paphael T. Chibunda said, “I believe that the most important success factor of the Saemaul Undong was instilling confidence that we too can become rich like Korea. Our university will therefore fulfill our role to change the hearts and attitude of our citizens through education.”
Also, one graduate who is an attorney-slash-presidential policy advisor in Tanzania created a Saemaul Undong NGO by receiving official approval from the Tanzanian government. During Mr. Heo’s tour, he visited the lodge to reveal his plans to establish a YU Africa alumni association, shedding the light of hope to the dark continent through the activities of African graduates of Saemaul Undong at YU. Meanwhile, YU has been engaged in Saemaul ODA projects such as building an elementary school at Illemela in Mwanza, Tanzania together with the city of Daegu. The city of Illemela officially established the ‘Saemaul Department‘ to oversee this and the Saemaul Department director also received Saemaul training at the YU International Development Cooperation Center.
