Yeungnam University community raises funds for Nepal flood victims

Members of the Yeungnam University community have donated relief funds to support victims of severe flooding in Nepal.

The university held a donation ceremony Thursday at the president's reception room on the second floor of the main building, presenting 23 million won ($17,100) collected for Nepal flood relief.

The funds were raised through a campaign that ran from Sept. 15 to Oct. 2, drawing participation from students, professors, staff and members of Yeungnam University Medical Center.

The donated funds will be channeled through the Korean Red Cross to provide relief and support to flood victims in Nepal.

The campaign took on added significance as international students studying at Yeungnam University — far from their home countries — joined the effort voluntarily.

Students from around the world took part to share in the grief of peers whose hometowns were struck by the disaster and to help affected residents rebuild their daily lives.

At the heart of the effort were international students from the Park Chung-hee School of Policy and Saemaul Studies, who led the fundraising drive with a shared commitment to helping those in need, transcending differences in nationality and language.

During the campaign in September, Giri Roshan, a Nepali student enrolled in the master's program in sustainable development at the Park Chung-hee School of Policy and Saemaul Studies, personally expressed his gratitude to the Yeungnam University community.

Lee Mi-yeon, secretary general of the North Gyeongsang Province chapter of the Korean Red Cross, said the campaign "is a model of global social contribution, worthy of recognition both at home and abroad, as Yeungnam University members came together across nationalities and affiliations."

Yeungnam University President Choi Oe-chul said the donation reflected "the hearts of our community members who want to help our Nepali neighbors get back on their feet," adding that it was "all the more precious and meaningful that students, professors, staff, medical center members and international students from around the world joined together with one purpose."