The Stigma of Being an Orphan

I was given the chance to volunteer at the Sung Aw Won Orphanage in Busan, and was fully able to grasp the stigma that comes with being an orphan in Korea.

Like in any country, there is a slight stigma against orphans because most would be parents want children of their own blood. That mentality is more severe in Korea—here, blood-line is everything. Because of this, the adoption rates amongst Koreans is very low, and as a consequence, there are many orphans who will never find a loving home.

Many Korean orphans are not adopted by Korean nationals, but rather, are “exported,” in the words of the orphanage director. Every year, 20+ couples from outside of Korea come to visit the orphanage to visit the children and find one to give a loving home.

As we sat listening to the director, he told to please, give the children our love because they have no one else to give it to them. Hug all the children, especially “the ugly ones” who might otherwise not be given attention. Give them candy or food, the Korean way of showing you care. Play with them and teach them, for oppurtunities like this do not happen often for them.

When we were allowed to go upstairs to visit the children, there was an instant air of excitement. The first children I visited were 2-4, and filled with energy. One stole my camera and ran around with, taking picture of his friends and the orphanage. Many came up to us and asked for hugs or for us to pick them up and swing them around.

After playing with the little ones, I went upstairs to the older age group, the 5-7 year-olds. If the younger ones had been energetic, these children had enough excitement to supply Busan all the energy it needed for a year.

They instantly attachted themselves to me, grabbing my camera to take pictures of themselves and the room, and holding onto my back so that I could run them around the room. And run I did until sweat was pouring off my and the children started fanning me. But as soon as they thought I had cooled down enough, they jumped right back onto my back, and I ran all over again.

As our time came to a close, I found myself tearing up, wishing sincerely that I had a few hours more with them. As our final parting gift to them, we gave the orphanage 286,00 won or roughly $286.

To think that just a few hours with, just lending them our cameras to play, just giving them one hug, made all the difference in the world to them. We took one final picture together, and all left with wet eyes, praying for the day that we could come back.