Tanzania, Africa, which is famous for Mt. Kilimanjaro and Serengeti National Park, is expected to soon welcome the Saemaul Undong wave. At the pinnacle of this wave is the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul and Global Saemaul Development Network (GSDN) Director Choi Wae-chul (YU Vice-president).
On the 4th, Kakono David Mabula, chairman of the Tanzanian NGO 'VMPF' (Village Modernization in Poverty Fighting) and other directors visited GSDN Director Choi Wae-chul. This group, which was mainly comprised of public employees and attorneys, was mostly from the YU Park Chung Hee School of Policy and Saemaul. After returning home, they organized this NGO to engage in regional development and national awakening and reform movements modeled after the Saemaul Undong. Upon registering the NGO with the Tanzanian government in December 2015, they came to visit Mr. Choi. They wanted to properly learn from a 'Saemaul expert' who launched the international NGO, GSDN to take the initiative in the global Saemaul development.
They had only one concern. They wanted to know how to develop Tanzania, which had nine times the territory of Korea but only 1/29th of the GDP per capita, like Korea. Chairman Mabula came to Mr. Choi to find the answer. After explaining the vision of VMPF and its business goals, they asked Mr. Choi to come to Tanzania and provide education on Saemaul development to local leaders, while also taking the time to discuss measures for cooperation.
In particular, Mr. Mabula strongly requested that the VMPF be officially recognized as a partner institute and the Tanzania branch of the GSDN. Mr. Choi expressed his agreement for the VMPF to act as the GSDN's Tanzanian branch and answered, "Let's work together to pledge cooperation between the two institutes through official procedures and practice the Saemaul Undong in Tanzania to make a safer and happier world."
Meanwhile, GSDN, which was launched in Gyeongju in September of last year, is the first international NGO related to the Saemaul Undong. Based on the spirit of hard work, self-help, cooperation, sharing, volunteering, and creation, 58 countries and international organizations are participating to spread and support global Saemaul development that aims for a safer and happier world. At the end of last year, the Indonesian public employee academy, IPDN (Institute Governance of Home Affairs) President Ermaya Suradinata also pledged participation, and thus the Saemaul Undong wave is quickly spreading throughout the global community.
