Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Join Forces to Support Adolescent Unmarried Single Parents

Annual Support Budget Increased from 1.2 Billion Won to 2 Billion Won

The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 'Woori Wonder Family Project' with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Woori Financial Future Foundation at the Myeongdong Diocese Office on the 11th, aiming to support the stability and independence of adolescent unmarried single parents.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul signed the second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the 'Woori Wonder Family' to support the independence of adolescent unmarried single parents with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Woori Financial Future Foundation at the Myeongdong Diocese Office on the 11th. (From left: Lim Jongryong, Chairman; Jung Suntak, Archbishop; Jung Guchang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family). Provided by the Archdiocese of Seoul

This agreement follows the first MOU signed in July last year and aims to further strengthen the social contribution cooperation model in which the government, corporations, and religious organizations work together to support adolescent unmarried single parents.

Expanded Age Range and Budget... A Life-Respecting Project for Practical Independence

The 'Woori Wonder Family' project is an integrated support initiative that provides unmarried single parents with a monthly living allowance of 500,000 won and emotional counseling, as well as a 100-day celebration gift for newborns and programs connecting them to education and employment opportunities.

With this second agreement, the age of eligible recipients has been expanded from 22 to 24 years old, and support for education, employment, and medical expenses has been newly included. Accordingly, the annual support budget will increase from 1.2 billion won to 2 billion won.

Under the agreement signed on this day, the three organizations pledged to jointly provide the following: a monthly living allowance of 500,000 won for 300 unmarried single parents under the age of 24 (including pregnant women); at least one psychological and emotional counseling session per month; a 100-day celebration gift worth 300,000 won; a congratulatory payment for academic or certificate achievements; short-term internship opportunities; and reimbursement of medical expenses up to 8 million won.

Archbishop Jung Suntak: "May Unmarried Single Parents Dream Big"

At the signing ceremony, Archbishop Jung Suntak said, "It is deeply meaningful that this project, which began with the agreement of the three organizations in 2023, will now be expanded to allow unmarried single parents to pursue even bigger dreams. I hope that the Woori Financial Future Foundation, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and the Archdiocese will continue this important initiative to support courageous young people who have chosen life and nurture their futures together."

Jung Guchang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, stated, "We will do our best to support socially vulnerable groups, including adolescent unmarried single parents and pregnant women in crisis."

Lim Jongryong, Chairman of the Woori Financial Future Foundation, said, "With this agreement, we will continue to provide unwavering support so that society can respond to the courage of adolescent unmarried single parents across the country who have taken responsibility for precious lives."

Archdiocese of Seoul Collaborates with Ministry of Gender Equality and Family

The 'Woori Wonder Family' project is a self-reliance support program that the Archdiocese has been operating in cooperation with the Woori Financial Future Foundation and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family since July 2023. It provides a monthly self-reliance allowance of 500,000 won, psychological counseling, life advice, and daily necessities to unmarried single parents under the age of 19 and adolescent unmarried single parents under the age of 22 (with an income below 50% of the median). The Archdiocese especially helps these individuals recover their human dignity within the faith community and become healthy parents in society.

Applicants can download the application form from the Archdiocese Life Committee website, fill it out, and submit it along with the required documents via email to the Life Committee.

Separate from the 'Woori Wonder Family' project, the Life Committee has also operated the 'Single Parent Fund Committee' since 2018, consistently supporting single mothers and fathers facing economic hardship.

To date, 208 families have received monthly support of 500,000 won for two years each, and the Archdiocese continues to carry out various care initiatives to uphold the value of life and help parents and children achieve independence together.