During the summer, I was able to work as an intern at Open Hands Korea. I have been doing many projects with Open Hands since the eighth grade and I stand together with their mission to “Save Lives and Make An Impact”. During my time working as an intern, I wondered about the difference between NGO (Open Hands) and NPO (OWL) and conducted some research. They are similar in that both organizations aim to serve the public and promote positive social change. The main differentiator is that non-governmental organizations operate internationally. 

When we learn about social or environmental issues, we ponder and think about the way to solve the problem or make a change. One way we can do this is by shifting our lifestyle and consumer choices and another is by getting politically active with our voices and votes. However, I feel that one of the most effective ways to help realize a more sustainable future is to also support environmental nonprofits. Since the inception of OWL, we have supported the projects and collaborated with Open Hands which has been very successful. 

Open Hands was equipped with the much-needed background research, social networks, know-how, and action plans to fully serve their mission and they were more capable of tackling issues that OWL cannot manage alone. As NGO’s operation runs on donations, OWL will continue to get involved in whichever ways we are able to and contribute financially through consistent and assiduous fundraisers.