"1.57 Million Students Write Hope Letters Supporting 10-Year-Old Juliet in Kenya Battling Illness"

Good Neighbors announced on the 18th that it has revealed the winning entries of the 17th Hope Letter Writing Contest, which saw the participation of more than 1.57 million students.

This year, the main character of the Hope Letter Writing Contest is Juliet, a 10-year-old girl living in Kenya, Africa. Juliet, who lives with her grandmother who is battling kidney cancer, has suffered from HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) since birth and requires regular hospital treatment.

The Hope Letter Writing Contest, held over five months from March to July, drew participation from 3,410 schools and 1,574,436 students nationwide. The letters, submitted through schools, conveyed heartfelt support for Juliet, who dreams of becoming a teacher despite her challenging circumstances. The donations collected along with the letters will be used to cover Juliet's family's living expenses, educational costs, and medical bills. Good Neighbors plans to continue providing support so that Juliet can grow up healthy in a safer environment.

A total of 126 students who were nominated for national awards received the grand prize, and the results for government ministry awards, the Good Neighbors Secretary General's Award, and others can be found on the official Hope Letter Writing Contest website.

A total of 58,109 students participated in the rock-paper-scissors event held for this year's Hope Letter Writing Contest participants. At Centum Elementary School in Busan, which produced the most winners, popular creator Heopop visited and held a "Sharing Concert." Heopop shared his experience of meeting last year's Hope Letter Writing Contest protagonists, Mbana and Genzo, and introduced how the children’s daily lives have changed through hope letters and sharing.

Kwon Minjeong, Head of Operations at Good Neighbors, said, "Through the Hope Letter Writing Contest, Good Neighbors has raised awareness of the various difficulties faced by children around the world and has provided essential support," adding, "We will continue to expand character education in sharing so that children can grow into global citizens who empathize with the pain of their neighbors and put sharing into practice."