From Asia to Africa: 2023 World Friends Korea IT Volunteers’ Meaningful Journey in Bridging Digital Divides

The National Information Society Agency (NIA), led by President Hwang Jong-seong, announced on Thursday, the 7th, that the 2023 World Friends Korea (WFK) IT Volunteers have returned safely after completing their volunteer work in seven countries: Laos, Mongolia, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Thailand.

To establish a new digital order and bridge the digital divide in developing countries, NIA dispatched the 2023 WFK IT Volunteers both on-site and online. This initiative highlighted the volunteers' passion and dedication to sharing IT knowledge and practical know-how with developing countries, leveraging the benefits of evolving IT technologies.

The on-site IT Volunteer teams, comprising youth from Kyungpook National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Jeju National University, Korea University of Technology and Education, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), and KAIST, conducted IT and Korean cultural education for diverse age groups in each country. They engaged in various projects that involved both theoretical education and practical problem-solving acitivities.

Notably, utilizing the advantage of online platforms, IT volunteers taught Ukrainian citizens, amidst ongoing conflict, how to create practical card news. Despite the urgent need to move to shelters during air raid alarms, he volunteers received strong local support and successfully completed their IT volunteer activities.

In Vietnam, the IT Volunteer team addressed the digital divide exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic by setting up a computer lab and conducting IT education at the Village of Hope orphanage.

The volunteers who participated in this mission had the opportunity to develop their qualities as global leaders by learning to analyze and solve real-world problems with the local beneficiaries, and by developing ideas through IT technology.

Additionally, through the WFK IT volunteer program, NIA has established close cooperation beyond short-term activities with beneficiary countries, including promising to collaborate with Institut Teknologi Garut in Indonesia and the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology's 2024 program to bridge Indonesia's digital divide.

President Hwang Jong-seong of NIA stated, "We will continue to closely collaborate with beneficiary countries and relevant organizations to create a more equitable and sustainable digital world and to establish a new digital order