Gangbuk Nanum Dolbom Center Awarded Prime Minister's Commendation

Highly Rated for Creating Community-Centered Care and Generating Local Jobs

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (Mayor Park Kyum-soo) held a ceremony on the 9th to present the Prime Minister's Commendation for Cooperative Contribution to the Social Cooperative Gangbuk Nanum Care Center (Chairman Lee Kyung-joo).

The Gangbuk Nanum Care Center has been providing various care services to local residents who have difficulty with daily life on their own and creating local jobs.

Last November, the center built a regional complex care center providing new facility-centered services, creating a community-based care network, expanding employment opportunities for residents, and revitalizing the local economy, which was a positive factor in receiving the award.

Since starting home-visit nursing services in 2007, the center has gradually expanded its activities to include support for people with disabilities and elderly care services. In 2014, it was approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as a social cooperative, and in 2016, it was certified as a social enterprise by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Since the cooperative's founding in 2014, the center has doubled its membership to ensure stable cooperative management and focused on sales growth. It has operated the organization through democratic and transparent methods such as direct voting by members, improved financial conditions, and continuously managed services to strengthen competitiveness.

The regional complex care center, which opened last year, was funded through the voluntary participation and decision-making of its members. After the building's completion, the complex center expanded new facility-centered services such as daytime activities for people with developmental disabilities, after-school activity services for adolescents with developmental disabilities, and day and night care projects for the elderly.

Additionally, a 40-pyeong (approximately 132 square meters) community shared space called ‘Nuguna’ was created in the building's basement, which is freely rented out for various meetings, performances, and events or opened to the local community.

Park Kyum-soo, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, said, “The efforts toward realizing common interests and social values have borne fruit, allowing the Gangbuk Nanum Care Center to receive the Prime Minister's Commendation. We will widely promote excellent cases and actively support social economy enterprises to carry out good activities.”