Hae Soo, standing, on the right -

"I grew up with the protection of my SOS mother and with my brothers and sisters from the SOS Children's Village. My childhood formed the basis of my life and I often think about those happy memories."

Hae Soo Joung was seven years old when he went to live at the SOS Children's Village. That was back in 1966: South Korea was very slowly recovering after the Korean War. Children were living on the streets, dressed in rags and looking like skeletons because they were so thin. Hae Soo Joung's mother had just died and his father was desperate – he couldn't cope with their deteriorating situation. He took Hae Soo Joung and his brother to live with relatives. However, their relatives refused to keep looking after Hae Soo when he got pneumonia. An uncle finally decided to take the two boys to the SOS Children's Village.

Early Days

Hae Soo's early days at the SOS Children's Village were marked by his illness and it took a long time for him to recover from pneumonia. Afterwards, he gradually discovered his new life. "I liked going to school and got good grades," he recalls. "But I was just as happy to play with marbles or my spinning top, or spend time with my brothers and sisters looking after the goats, rabbits and chickens that we kept at the SOS Children's Village." He also often helped his mother in the vegetable garden that she had planted. "That was hard work," he can still remember, "but it was very satisfying to watch the vegetables grow and thrive."

Modest Living

The family's house was very modest. "At that time", explains Hae Soo, "we didn't have a fridge, a washing machine or a TV." And that meant a lot of work for our SOS mother. When he thinks of those times, Hae Soo remembers a woman who was constantly doing something, who didn't have a spare minute all day long: "At the end of the day, there were ten of us living in her care." But Hae Soo says that the standard of living at the SOS Children's Village was a lot higher than many other Korean families. "I had a lot of contact with the other children at my school and my schoolmates were often envious of the opportunities that we had."

Hae Soo spent Sundays and public holidays at church because he was an altar boy. One of the highlights was the annual summer vacation: the whole SOS Children's Village went to camp by the sea. "It was so exciting," recalls Hae Soo. "Even now, I can still hear the songs that we sang together."

The Working Life

After finishing his studies at business school, Hae Soo spent another six months at the SOS Children's Village, until he found a job. Thankfully his employer also provided him with a place to sleep, so Hae Soo left home. Even though he says that he didn't find it hard to integrate into his new surroundings, he did sometimes feel lonely. "But then I went to the SOS Children's Village and visited my SOS family."

Social Service and Education

Having completed his three years of military service, Hae Soo decided to continue his studies. He went to university and did a degree in business studies. When the village director of SOS Children's Village Daegu asked whether Hae Soo would like to work for him, he immediately agreed. What he hadn't expected was that work at the SOS Children's Village would be such a challenge.

Hae Soo (second on the left) during the visit of the founder of SOS Children's Villages, Hermann Gmeiner

Looking back he acknowledges: "I didn't understand the children's needs. The backgrounds of the children that lived at the SOS Children's Village were different to during my time. Back then, it was mainly orphans that lived at the SOS Children's Village and the biggest problems were hunger and poverty, but now it is children who still tend to have at least one parent and often the children were neglected or abused."

Positive Outlook

Hae Soo returned to university to study social work and after that he became the Director of the SOS Social Center. "I now have a better understanding of the suffering and traumas of the children; my studies have also helped me in my work with my colleagues," he says. But Hae Soo says that the SOS Children's Village was the most important experience in his life: "I think positively, I try to understand other people and their points of view and I have good childhood memories. I value these things and I also want to share that with others."