'Unwrap the gift within'

International humanitarian assistant Han Bi-ya carries many names.

She is called a saint or angel who helps people whenever and wherever in need without conditions.

She is often referred to as the Korean Mother Teresa.

A traveler at heart and a passionate relief worker who has been to over 100 countries -- she is most widely known as “baram-eui ddal” or “daughter of the wind” in Korea.

But Han now wants to translate the Korean word “baram” to hope, and become the Daughter of Hope to spread her belief in the innate goodness of all people, and help and motivate them to “unwrap” their true gifts hidden inside their souls.

When people discover their gifts and share them with the world, Han said they will truly be free.

“Why would you ‘not’ want to unwrap the gift given to you by God and share it with the world?” said Han, 57, during an interview.

“If you use that gift to do something you love and for the betterment of this world, you will be free.”

Han is living proof of how she used her talent in public relations to encourage and motivate others to discover and use their potential to help people in remote areas or places devastated by natural disasters or conflicts.

Sit down with Han or listen to her public seminars just for the first five minutes, people will not only immediately be drawn to her world of humanitarian assistance, but will also feel her passion and spirit.

She lets her students, audience and even interviewers know constantly that each of them have a “special DNA” that makes them unique and benevolent.

“I don’t want anyone to become like me, or the second Han Bi-ya. We all should stay true to ourselves and become who we really are,” Han said.

“That is how (a variety of) leaders are made and born. I want to give support as the principal of the School of Global Citizenship.”

She noted that her personal model of success to life is: energy plus time and endeavor equals oneself.

Han has been working in various war-torn, natural disaster-hit and poverty-stricken regions such as in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia over the last 15 years.

She served as an advisory member of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund between 2012 and 2014 after graduating from Tufts University with a master of arts in humanitarian assistance in the U.S. She is currently studying her Ph.D. in humanitarian assistance and development cooperation at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, at the same time serving as the principal of the School of Global Citizenship, a virtual school that teaches humanitarian assistance, which is part of the World Vision nonprofit aid organization.

Han seeks to use her 15-year practical experience, and write a doctoral thesis and develop a theory that can later be viewed and considered by governments worldwide when developing policies on global humanitarian assistance.

“I am studying again to develop a theory based on my field experience that can help countries such as in Africa to build back better, safer and stronger,” Han said.

“I want to converge the studies of relief and development as there has been a gap between humanitarian aid on the field and in policymaking.”

This is because most aid fails to boost countries to rebuild their economies and infrastructure to be sustainable, she noted.

As the principal of the School of Global Citizenship, she seeks to bring changes to Koreans’ perspective of the world, and hopes that they see issues, problems and other people outside the country’s borders as one of their own -- “as a family or as a household problem.”

She added that Koreans, for instance, should not see troubles in Nepal hit by an earthquake as just a Nepal issue, but something terrible that has happened to their family at home.

She believes all Koreans have the potential to become global citizens as the country has gone through liberation from Japan’s imperial rule, internal conflicts, economic development, democratization and growth.

And that is what her school is doing -- teaching next-generation leaders to think and solve problems globally. Starting with about 50 students in 2007, it now has about 1 million students. The school does not have a campus or classrooms, and its students do not pay tuition. It sends its teachers to where students are.

Han knows that she faces a tough challenge to change and put her theory into practice.

“But somebody’s going to have to do it, and I strongly believe many more people will join as they watch others become involved (in this vision).”

As a devout Catholic and a lifelong helper of the poor and underprivileged, Han said in her autobiographical essay “1 Gram of Courage” that she has always believed in the words of Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play “A Streetcar Named Desire” -- “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”

Han said she is just as afraid as anybody who ventures into the unknown. She cries, shouts, gets angry and feels lonely and vulnerable at times when things do not work out and when facing difficulties.

But there is one place she goes to on a regular basis to refresh and relieve -- the mountains.

“I can’t live without them. I have to climb and hike up the mountains. That is something I enjoy and feel happy doing, and to let out my worries, frustrations and sorrow.”

Despite the hardships, she believes that her action will help inspire good, adding that when people use their potential only to seek fame and fortune, it will be a waste.

“I’m not getting paid to run the school or promote this, and I’m not doing this for fame. I can just drop it and let it go. But I feel most free when I do these works, especially out on the field,” Han said.

By Park Hyong-ki
(hkp@heraldcorp.com)