Since MAP began in 2016, for a long time MAP had only two activists, Youngah and Juyeon 👭. Of course, many people joined us as volunteers. Two is better than one, but there were clearly moments when two were not enough. There was a great deal to do, including the health project, referral and support, and Dream School.
In February 2019, a third member came to MAP to share that load. This precious person is Yasmin, whom we are introducing this time. Personally, I do not like to describe a person as someone who is worth a hundred people, because it seems to quantify an individual by visible activities. But when it comes to Yasmin, I have not yet found a better expression. When you come to the office, you can find Yasmin answering endless phone calls, making card news, and preparing presentations. Sometimes, from early in the morning, Yasmin would even bring food for everyone at MAP to eat. We introduce Yasmin, whom adjectives such as amazing, remarkable, marvelous, wonderful, bold and full of life cannot fully describe.
(This was written by Yasmin in English and translated into Korean.)
Q. Please introduce yourself briefly.
A. Hello. I am Yasmin and I come from Yemen. I am a teacher and an activist. It has been about a year and a half since I came to Korea.
Q. Please tell us about the things Yasmin likes!
A. What I like most are the smell and sound of rain, and sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)!
Q. What led you to start working with MAP?
A. My work as an activist began when I developed a strong desire to change the situation of refugees and the perception of refugees. I believe that human beings have the power to change reality, especially if given the opportunity to work with people who have the desire to change the ideas that prevail in society.
Q. What work do you do at MAP?
A. I am in charge of phone counseling. I help refugees access and understand information in their own languages. I also take part in the Human Library project as one human book. The Human Library helps people overcome prejudice through deep conversations with the person who borrowed the human book. Every human book has a title that shows the discrimination and prejudice they have experienced. My title is “Do not pity refugees. Trust them.” So far, the other human books and I have held more than 20 Human Library events and met more than 300 people. Their feedback has been incredibly good. The understanding and trust in refugees that they showed are the driving force that lets me and many other human books continue the human book activities.
Q. Is there a scene that you remember most from your time at MAP?
A. I cannot forget any moment of working as an activist and trying to help others. For example, taking part in the study on the treatment of humanitarian status holders living in Korea. I also cannot forget my first hike of my life on Hallasan.
Q. What is the special charm of MAP?
A. One family, one heart
Q. Finally, please tell us anything you wish for MAP or want to say.
A. I hope MAP can reach out a helping hand to the 27,620 refugees in Korea.
