- Seoul Community Chest of Korea Support Project
- Ecocean, Touch for Good, Korea Association of Vocational Rehabilitation Facilities for the Disabled, etc. Participating
[Group photo taken after the Collective Impact project (An Yeon-jin, Head of Warm Companion, Lee Young-joo, Team Leader of Seoul Social Welfare Community Chest, Go Seong-su, Director of Tolerance, Lee Tae-dong, Director of Ecocean, Park Mi-heon, CEO of Touch for Good, Park Hyo-in, Deputy Manager of Korea Disabled Vocational Rehabilitation Center)]
Social welfare corporation Warm Companion announced on the 21st that it held a plaque ceremony at the disability vocational rehabilitation facility Tolerance to create an eco-friendly workplace to enhance climate crisis resilience and to commemorate this effort.
This project was carried out with the support of the Seoul Community Chest of Korea and was implemented using the Collective Impact approach, where specialized organizations from various fields collaborated by leveraging their respective strengths. Four organizations, including the lead agency Warm Companion, the Korea Association of Vocational Rehabilitation Facilities for the Disabled, Touch for Good, and Ecocean, formed a consortium to support the disability vocational rehabilitation facility Tolerance.
The disability bakery workshop Tolerance faced challenges such as vulnerability to the climate crisis due to summer heatwaves, leaks, and winter cold waves, which caused difficulties in market development and menu creation. In response, Warm Companion supported external insulation, leak prevention work, and high-efficiency heating and cooling systems to improve energy efficiency and climate change adaptation. They also installed ramps for disability access and provided welfare spaces where workers could rest and work comfortably.
Additionally, Ecocean conducted climate change response and adaptation consulting for the facility to ensure effectiveness. The Korea Association of Vocational Rehabilitation Facilities for the Disabled promoted the project to disability vocational rehabilitation facilities in Seoul, encouraging participation from institutions in need and willing to change. Touch for Good supported the development of eco-friendly products and market expansion to improve the revenue structure in the renovated facility.
Lee Young-joo, team leader of the Seoul Community Chest of Korea, said, “This project is meaningful as it jointly supported issues such as improving the working environment, energy efficiency, and market development of disability vocational rehabilitation facilities. We thank everyone involved and hope this becomes a good model for supporting the operation of vocational rehabilitation facilities.”
Go Sung-soo, director of Tolerance, said, “We are grateful to have a space where people with disabilities can work comfortably without worrying about the heat or cold.”
Meanwhile, Warm Companion was established in 2010 to create a warm world without disabilities. It is a purely non-profit organization that provides domestic and international space welfare support for people with disabilities, advanced assistive device support, job creation, and volunteer activity support.
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