Non-face-to-face Scrubber Making Volunteer Activity

Hand Sponge (Susemi) Means 'Let's Make the World Beautiful with Our Hands'... A New Culture Created by COVID-19 in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Planned as a Non-Face-to-Face Volunteer Activity

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) is promoting a non-face-to-face scrubbing sponge making volunteer activity to "make the world beautiful with hands."

Due to the impact of COVID-19, activities involving gatherings of many people have become difficult, causing volunteer activities to shrink. In this situation, a non-face-to-face volunteer activity that can achieve both "safety and volunteering" has been promoted.

The district recruited about 30 general volunteers by the 24th of last month, and on the 30th and 31st, the professional volunteer group, the Knitting Volunteer Group, provided knitting method training to the non-face-to-face scrubbing sponge volunteers.

The professional knitting volunteer group plays a role in opening the door to volunteer activities so that even those who are making scrubbing sponges for the first time can participate in volunteering.

A volunteer who participated in this training said, "In these difficult times due to COVID-19, I joined with the hope that it would be a small help to those who receive the scrubbing sponges."

About 20 professional volunteers and about 30 general volunteers plan to make scrubbing sponges at their homes throughout August. It is expected that about 1,000 scrubbing sponges will be made by the fingertips of the volunteers.

The completed scrubbing sponges will be delivered to 400 vulnerable households in early September, along with a greeting note asking about their well-being, either in their mailboxes or in front of their homes.

A district official said, "In a situation where volunteer activities tend to shrink due to the impact of COVID-19, we planned this to develop a non-face-to-face program and revitalize volunteering," adding, "We hope this volunteer activity will be a healthy time that revitalizes daily life exhausted by COVID-19."