Jusarang Community Church is a local organization that takes care of abandoned and mentally disabled children, managed by Korean Jusarang Church. Mr. Jong-Rak Lee started the initiative. As his son who was born severely disabled, Mr. Lee quit his company and devoted himself to caring for him. Later, in 1999, he decided to take in and care for a little disabled boy as his family was no longer able to look after him. Since then, Mr. Lee’s kindness kept spreading by word of mouth. After completing the pastor training of the Protestant Church, he founded a community house to take care of abandoned children in Seoul in 2003 as one of Jusarang charitable activities.
Jusarang Community set up a baby box in December 2009. The trigger was an abandoned physically disabled newborn in a cardboard box in front of Mr. Lee’s house on cold early morning in May 2009. The baby box of Jusarang Community is equipped with an air conditioner and an alert system to let the staff know when a baby arrives. In 2010, the first baby was entrusted to the box. Following the adoption law changes in 2012 (Special Adoption Law), the number of surrendered babies rose considerably. As a result, Jusarang opened up a baby room where experts provide consultation services for mothers.
The Jusarang baby box has taken in 1,300 babies up to the end of 2017, amounting to 17.5 babies monthly.
Jusarang Community will keep improving child care services and the support of the work-life balance for single mothers, pushing for the enactment of a bill on secret or anonymous childbirth, and promoting adoption before sending babies to infant homes as preliminary steps. Also, the Jusarang Community is planning to enhance the aftercare of the babies relinquished to the baby box and the support for children living in infant homes.