Press Release
By John Redmond
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"Due to the intensive nature of my coursework, my getaway is to engage in volunteering, like I used to do back in my country," said Williams Kyei from Konongo, Ghana.
He said that he has volunteered for such organizations as the Angel House orphanage, Feeding the Homeless, the Itaewon Global Village Center and the Seoul Global Center.
He now works as a goodwill ambassador and SNS reporter for the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization.
"I have been engaging in a number of charity events with my NGO Hebrews 13 Foundation in Ghana and other community groups on Facebook," Kyei said.
He is a member of the Autism Help Foundation in Ghana which is implementing programs to help autism cases and create opportunities for persons with disabilities.
"Most pressing is that together with a team, I am currently running a crowd fundraising to rehabilitate a dilapidated primary school in a small village in northern Ghana."
"The kids are in a dire situation and we thought of doing something to help, since education is crucial," he said. "They need textbooks, school uniforms, desks and some sports equipment to facilitate their learning. We compassionately need support from all corners to realize this goal for them."
Kyei is enrolled in the Korean government startup program dubbed "OASIS Course," targeted at foreign residents and students living in Korea who intend to start businesses with their creative ideas.
He came to Korea in August 2014 on a Korean government scholarship to study sports management. He graduated from the Kwame Nkruma University of Science and Technology in Ghana.
"As of now, I am still taking the courses which are 9-level," he said. "I have an idea to establish a startup related to sports and how far it will go will determine my future here in Korea."
Professionally a sports administrator, having worked for the Ghana National Sports Authority for six years, Kyei is a staunch volunteer, cofounder of an NGO and photography hobbyist who has a passion for sports and disability issues.
The following is an excerpt of an interview with Kyei.
Q: Why did you choose to study in Korea?
A: Korea was actually never on my plate as a destination for my advanced degree. It was an opportunity that I met in the nick of time, and I was prepared.
In 2013, the Korea government established the "Dream Together Master Program (Masters in Sport Management)" at Seoul National University aimed at training the next generation of global sports leaders from developing countries.
That same year they were accepting applications for the maiden intake, I met the director of the program at the U.N./IOC international forum on sports for peace and development held at the U.N. headquarters, New York.
He introduced me to the program, I studied the requirements, they met my future aspirations so I applied and now I am accomplishing my dream.
Q: What were your first impressions of Korea?
A: As I indicated earlier, I had limited to no knowledge about what Korea was really about. I knew of Samsung, Hyundai, Kia and the like. I also had a heuristic knowledge about the drama and the occasional provocations from North Korea.
But, I came here and realized there was more to that. Especially with higher education, technological advancement, industrialization, transport, mega infrastructure, culture and history. I can admit, I adapted quite easily into the system and it's been an incredible journey so far.
Q: Is there a large African community at your university or through social functions?
A: My university can boast a growing number of African students in recent years, from Ghana, Togo, Lesotho, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Morocco, Egypt and many others.
Occasionally, we meet through an African roundtable which was hosted by the Graduate School of International Studies. Apart from that, it is more of a clique meet-up among people from respective countries.
On the other hand, there is a large Ghanaian student community in Korea. We had our last convocation at Hanbat University during the Chuseok holidays. We were even privileged to have the Ghanaian Ambassador to interact with us.
John Redmond is a freelance writer.Friendship Award of Excellence at the East Asia Institute Young Festival and Korea Friendship Gala at Kukdo Hotel in Seoul last October.