Wallpapering for needy households

There is no place like home. However, if home has mold on the walls and a sagging ceiling, its residents can hardly feel comfortable at all.

Before spring flowers fully bloom, a group of volunteers in Dongjak-gu are planning to renovate the homes of needy people in the district with new wallpaper in the hope of bringing a sense of spring freshness.

The volunteers are members of a program called “Love House,” which was started in 2000.

Each year around 30 volunteers are recruited and around 500 households so far have received their help. This year’s wallpapering work started in early March.

Not only do the volunteers change wallpaper covered with mold, they also replace light bulbs and carry out repairs.

Underprivileged families and children who live with grandparents too weak or sick to do this work are among the beneficiaries.

Each time only around four to five people team up to visit a household to change the old wallpaper, since the rooms usually are not big enough to accommodate more than that.

The work is usually quite slow; it takes a whole day to finish the wallpapering and sometimes even a week for some households.

Everything has to be moved out of a room (the residents cannot afford two or three rooms, and have piles of items collected from the streets) and the old wallpaper must be taken off before being replaced with the new.

Other jobs such as getting rid of mold on the walls with fire and putting up and dry lining paper must be done beforehand, too.

“In the past all the work was done manually without any equipment. And there was no car provided to us for carrying materials for wallpapering,” said Kim Ui-ho, 71, who has been volunteering since the start of the program.

For Kim, who used to work for a construction company, the volunteer work gives him joy through communicating with young people.

“While volunteering together with young university students, as a skilled person I teach young participants about how to do the work.”

Some donations from individuals or construction firms arrive at the district office, but the budget is still limited and more volunteers are needed.

“Unfortunately, only 20 or 30 households a year have old wallpaper replaced. More help is needed,” said an official from the district office.

Last year, 30 households were renovated with new wallpaper and linoleum flooring.

Dongjak also has a “one-on-one program” in which each public officer is partnered with and gives constant care to a household in need, such as calling and visiting regularly, and having consultations on their livelihood.

“Love House and the one-on-one program help improve the civil services and build a better understanding between the community members and public servants,” said Yoon Yang-ho, a director of the resident livelihood support division.

By Kim Young-won  (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)