SEOUL (UCAN): One Body One Spirit [OBOS], a Catholic group in South Korea kicked off the second round of a campaign to raise funds for victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Bishop Timothy Yu Gyoung-chon, the group’s chairperson and auxiliary bishop of Archdiocese of Seoul, said the group launched a second fundraiser to support victims of the war who are facing hard times.
OBOS carried out its first campaign from March 7 to April 30 and donated around US$350,000 [$2.74 million] to Caritas Ukraine for emergency relief operations. Another US$100,000 [$784,000]was sent for Ukrainian refugees in neighbouring countries through Caritas Czech Republic, Catholic Times of Korea reported.
The donations in the first campaign came mostly from some 4,455 individuals. The second campaign will run up to July 31.
Bishop Yu said that the movement has been collecting funds through individual and institutional donations, as the number of refugees from the Ukraine war surpassed 14 million—eight million displaced internally and another six million fleeing to other countries.
“We have provided emergency relief through the first fundraising campaign, but we feel people need more help due to the prolonged war,” the bishop said.
We have provided emergency relief through the first fundraising campaign, but we feel people need more help due to the prolonged war,
Bishop Yu
According to OBOS, the funds have been used to provide food, sanitation and daily essentials for up to 250,000 people in Ukraine along with the construction of temporary shelters for displaced people and child protection activities.
The group also appealed to its international partners to raise funds for Ukrainian war victims.
OBOS is hosting an exhibition and prayer campaign at its headquarters in Myeongdong Cathedral, Seoul, to spread the message of peace in the world.
The group was founded with inspiration from the 44th World Eucharistic Congress in Seoul in 1989, and seeks to spread hope, life and love through Catholic social teaching to make a peaceful world according to the spirit of the Eucharistic sacrament
In recent decades, OBOS has sponsored domestic and international projects including development cooperation through Caritas, social welfare support for hungry and homeless in South Korea and support for the pro-life movement.
As of June 1, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [UNCHR] had verified 4,169 civilian deaths since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24. The victims include 268 children. Another 4,982 people have been injured. It said the figures are conservative estimates and that the real numbers could be higher.
