Sister Yeo Hyehwa Benedicta Awarded Asan Prize for 27 Years of Medical and Educational Service in Uganda

Establishment of Locally Customized Hospitals and Schools
Director Min Hyungrae Awarded Medical Volunteer Prize
19 Years of Service in Asian Deserts

Sister Yeohyehwa Benedicta (left), recipient of the 32nd Asan Award Grand Prize, engaged in local activities in Uganda

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Sister Yeo Hye-hwa Benedicta (72), who has been volunteering for 27 years in Uganda, Africa, building hospitals and schools for local residents, received the 32nd Asan Award.

Sister Yeo Hye-hwa, born in Daegu, joined the Benedictine Sisters of Daegu after graduating from high school. Following the congregation's suggestion, she majored in nursing at St. Paul University in the Philippines, and after graduation, she returned to her hometown to work at a hospital. In 1984, she volunteered to be dispatched to Sorokdo Hospital, where she cared for Hansen's disease patients. Having vowed to live a life of service, she volunteered to be dispatched to Uganda, Africa, in 1993. She settled in Jinja, a city about two hours by car from the capital Kampala, and decided to build a hospital and school considering the local circumstances.

In 1995, she built and directly operated the St. Benedict Health Center, which functions as a hospital. Unable to afford hiring a doctor initially, Sister Yeo personally provided medical treatment and prescriptions. Later, as the center stabilized, doctors were hired, and it has now become a major medical institution visited by over 200 people daily. Due to poor local childbirth conditions and high infant mortality rates, she focused on operating an obstetrics and gynecology department professionally and has run an AIDS center since 2003. This AIDS center was recognized as an excellent institution by the Ugandan government.

At the 32nd Asan Awards ceremony held on the 25th at the Asan Social Welfare Foundation, Jeong Mong-jun, Chairman of the Asan Foundation (from the left), Moon Hyun-sook, Director of the Daegu Convent of the Benedictine Sisters and proxy recipient for Sister Yeo Hye-hwa Benedicta, who won the Grand Prize, Min Hyung-rae, Director who received the Medical Service Award, and Sister Kwak Ji-sook, representative of the Social Welfare Corporation Seongmo Jaeawon, who received the Social Service Award, are posing for a commemorative photo.

She also established educational facilities for children who did not receive proper education. The kindergarten opened in 1995 was officially recognized as an educational institution in 2002, and the elementary school founded in 2000 gained a reputation as a prestigious school in the area. Tuition fees are more than 30% lower than other private schools locally, and students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds are exempt from tuition. The convent cultivates crops on its land for self-sufficiency and supplements its finances by selling surplus produce. Various self-reliance activities are promoted, such as drawing lake water to cultivate sugarcane and raising freshwater fish fry.

Sister Yeo, who has worked as the executive of the Ugandan community consisting of the convent, hospital, and school, has served as the community’s general director since 2018. Initially, the local government leased the land for the school and hospital for 25 years at a fee, but recognizing the contributions to local health and education, they donated 75,000 pyeong (approximately 247,933 square meters) of land free of charge.

The Asan Award for Medical Volunteer Service was given to Director Min Hyung-rae (54), who has been volunteering for 19 years, building a general hospital and educational facilities in the Asian desert region. After graduating from medical school, he spent two months in Nepal during his residency for medical volunteer work. While preparing to return to Korea, he visited a hospital established by a Korean nonprofit organization in a refugee camp for a week. The Korean doctor who was the hospital director was scheduled to return after a three-year term, and upon hearing there would be no doctor afterward, Director Min decided to volunteer directly at the hospital.

Director Min Hyung-rae, recipient of the Asan Medical Volunteer Award

While traveling to desert villages about 10 hours away by car to perform free surgeries, he decided to build a hospital in the desert region. He established a hospital equipped with a neonatal unit, various examination rooms, and 50 beds. Since its opening in 2013, 100,000 local residents have benefited. Although initially struggling with insufficient facilities and medical staff, the hospital now operates with the help of local medical personnel, and about 100 outpatients visit daily with six local doctors.

The Asan Award was established in 1989 by founder Chung Ju-yung of the Asan Foundation to encourage individuals and organizations dedicated to helping those in need. Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation, said, "I do not think the awardees helped others because they had plenty of resources. They likely did so with the belief that helping those in need is something we all must do," adding, "The Asan Foundation will continue to support those who serve and help the underprivileged."