Please meet Nyaka’s newest Junior Board
Member, Cheryn Shin! Cheryn is a student
at Seoul International School in South Korea.
She learned about Nyaka during one of Jackson’s visits and was inspired
to help the students there.
Cheryn is part of an NGO in the city of Seoul
called Art & Love, which collects and shares art work from student
volunteers like her. Every year they
have an exhibition, and this year, Cheryn featured Nyaka at a booth in the Art & Love bazaar. Here is her amazing story...
I got
involved with Nyaka through SIS GIN (school club) since 2013 (Freshman year). I
personally reached out to Nyaka for the first time in 2016.
I always
wanted to support NGOs that accepted donations to make the world a better
place. Ever since I was 8, I supported organizations such as UNICEF, Green
Peace, and World Vision. However, since I do not have any palpable connections,
it was difficult to express my passions. When I was 10, I met Mr. Jackson
Kaguri during his first visit to Seoul International School. This was when I
discovered Nyaka and gained awareness of the situations in Uganda. Furthermore,
Mr. Jackson encouraged and convinced me that even a student in Korea can make a
change through Nyaka. I have been supporting Nyaka ever since.
I have
attended all of Mr. Jackson’s visits at our school, and was part of SIS GIN’s
donations to Nyaka. Initially, I was too shy to reach out to Nyaka myself.
However, at the end of my Junior year after Mr. Jackson’s 6th visit,
I began to feel that I was running out of time. I gathered up my courage to
speak to Mr. Jackson after the meeting, and soon we were in regular contact
through email. I then asked for a collaboration between a Korean NGO I was a
member (now president) of called Art&Love. In this way, I was able to
purchase over a $1000 worth of Nyaka products with my own allowance, sending
donations to Nyaka as well as raising awareness of Uganda in Korea. I plan to
continue this project and collaboration even after I graduate high school. In
order to make sure this plan works, I am currently creating both an official
Art&Love website and Facebook page to keep track of our progress. In
addition, I would like to write articles about Nyaka and my experiences and
publish them on a student run website called Teen10, in which I am an editor.
Nyaka has
given me courage to try new things because it’s never too early or too late to
make change in the world, as long as you have a purpose to carry on. Nyaka has
also made me realize the importance of the phrase “actions speak louder than
words.” I enjoy planning and organizing, but I was always afraid to act upon my
words. Now, through my recent collaborations with Nyaka, I have come to realize
how much progress I was able to make simply by contacting authorities and
“walking the talk.”
My dream has
always been a writer. Because Nyaka has given me so much experience and
inspiration, I would like to express my works through my writings. I plan to
keep in contact with Nyaka even in my college and adult years, raise awareness
at my future college. I also dream of travelling to Uganda myself and visit the
Nyaka children.
Thank you Cheryn! YOU are an inspiration!
