World Friends Korea IT Volunteers Lead Digital New Order and Bridge Digital Divide
- 208 World Friends Korea IT Volunteers Dispatched to 21 Countries in 2023 -
- Conducting IT Education and IT Projects, Korean Cultural Education for Youth, University Students, Public Officials, and General Citizens -
- Minister of Science and ICT Award (Grand Prize to 1 Team) and NIA President’s Award (to 16 Teams) Presented to Outstanding Teams in 2023 -
- NIA Donates ICT Equipment Used for Volunteer Training to Ukraine, Praying for Peace -
The National Information Society Agency (NIA), led by President Hwang Jong-seong, announced that it held the “2023 World Friends Korea IT Volunteer Program* Performance Report Conference” on November 30th (Thursday) with over 130 IT volunteers and others in attendance.
*The World Friends Korea IT Volunteer Program : An official overseas volunteer program of the Korean government since 2001, comprising domestic youth who are dispatched to developing countries to carry out IT education and projects.
The performance report conference was organized to instill a sense of belonging and pride among the volunteers, featuring segments such as the sharing of 2023 dispatch results, awards for outstanding teams, feedback from beneficiary institutions, and a ceremony for the donation of ICT equipment.
In 2023, the World Friends Korea IT Volunteers resumed on-site dispatch to Africa (Ethiopia, Tanzania) after three years, with all volunteers safely returning home. Additionally, volunteers were dispatched to Mongolia, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand, where they demonstrated their capabilities in bridging the digital divide in developing countries.
In addition to on-site dispatches, the program also included online volunteer activities, providing IT education, projects, and Korean cultural education to youth, university students, public officials, and general citizens in 17 countries worldwide, unrestricted by location and time.
<2023 World Friends Korea IT Volunteer Program Dispatch Overview>
CategoryDetails
Scale/Period(Personnel) Total 208 (On-site 111, Online 97) / July - August 2023
Countries(Countries/Institutions) 21 countries (excluding duplicates)
- (On-site, 7 countries) Mongolia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Ethiopia, Tanzania
- (Online, 17 countries) Ghana, Nepal, Laos, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Jordan, Ukraine, Indonesia, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Tunisia, Panama, Papua New Guinea
Activities(IT Education) AI education, programming (Python, Scratch), graphic design (Illustrator, Photoshop), video editing, etc.
(IT Projects) Website development, projects addressing social issues in developing countries using IT
At this year’s performance Report Conference, awards were given to exemplary teams that significantly contributed to reducing the global divide. Additionally, a contest for activity videos and social media promotions created by the volunteers, allowing the volunteers to share their vivid volunteer expriences.
Notably, the "OnUp" team, which conducted online volunteer activities for Ukrainian citizens affected by war for two consecutive years (2022-2023), received the IT Volunteer Peace Award, highlighting the significance of the IT volunteers’ commitment to global digital inclusion.
The "Edigong" team from Korea University of Technology and Education, which won the grand prize (Minister of Science and ICT Award) for outstanding team activities, was dispatched to Vietnam, where they conducted graphic and video editing program education and CD album cover design classes for Dong-A University students, significantly aiding local students’ employment prospects.
Three teams received the top excellence award (NIA President’s Award): "InniA" team from Jeju National University (dispatched to Indonesia), "SynergiLink+" team (dispatched online to Tunisia), and "ITsati" team (dispatched online to Nepal). These teams demonstrated Korea’s leadership in establishing a new digital order through high-level IT education and projects involving AI, machine learning, and ChatGPT.
At the performance report conference, Vedenieieva Olga, Head of the Education Department from Ukraine, representing a beneficiary institution, expressed gratitude for the partnership with World Friends Korea IT volunteers. She highlighted that “online IT volunteer activities provide critical oppoutunities to enhance IT skills, confidence, and global vision in region where on-site deployment is challenged by natural disasters and conflicts.” She requested the continuation of online dispatch in the future.
Additionally, NIA donated ICT equipment used for IT volunteer training to Ukraine, praying for peace.
President Hwang Jong-seong of NIA encouraged the IT volunteers who displayed their youthful passion and expertise in IT during the pandemic, stating, “Every volunteer has contributed to Korea leading the new digital order, and we hope that the experiences gained will be a valuable guide in their future endeavors.”
Since 2001, NIA has dispatched 8,633 IT volunteers to 78 countries worldwide, contributing annually to bridging the digital divide in developing countries and leading the new digital order.