JOIN TOGETHER SOCIETY
FR WILLIAM MASTERSON SJ AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan
79th Commencement Exercises
22 March 2018
“If one is happy, everyone else seems happy, likewise if one is at peace, the world is at peace.” — Pomnyun Sunim
From one man’s mission to promote peace through compassion, a group of volunteers has touched many lives across Asia. Run purely by volunteers, the Join Together Society (JTS) has helped many far-flung communities all over Mindanao, giving those in the peripheries a chance at a better future.
JTS acts on a three-pronged mission: to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and teach the illiterate. The Society advocates for compassion towards people from all walks of life, as we are all part of one global village.
Humble beginnings
Based in South Korea, JTS is part of the Jungto Society, a Buddhist organization aiming to address the world’s most pressing needs. The Society was founded by the Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, whose mission is to help people all over the world experience the Jungto (meaning “Blessed Land”), where they can live in happiness, health, and peace.
Having grown up in poverty, Pomnyun became sensitive to the struggles of the needy. He, along with his organization of volunteers, helped document and report on the plight of North Koreans — while the rest of the world talked about its leader, the people themselves were being ignored. His advocacies for the unification of North and South Korea, as well as the rights of the North Koreans, were met with backlash — he was arrested and beaten on numerous occasions for his efforts. But he continued to provide humanitarian aid for North Koreans, especially the victims of natural calamities, through JTS.
In 2002, Pomnyun received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding, for his work in promoting peace in the Korean peninsula and humane treatment of North Koreans. He donated the cash prize from the Magsaysay Award to help the poor in the Philippines.
Classrooms as bridges
After receiving the award, Pomnyun visited Sitio Kalanganan in San Vicente, Baungon, Bukidnon, a Higaonon community located at the foot of Mount Kitanglad. After his visit, JTS mobilized volunteers to conduct its first-ever project in the Philippines: the construction of a classroom in Kalanganan. Since then, JTS has helped build 53 school buildings across several provinces in Mindanao, through the efforts of their Korean and Filipino volunteers, beneficiaries, and community leaders.
Their educational projects have served as a springboard to address challenges in the communities. To help foster sustainable development, they have partnered with LGUs to build roads, health centers, and other infrastructures, and facilitate dialogue to promote peace.
JTS has helped rebuild communities ravaged by armed conflict. They built school buildings in Kidama, Angga-an, Damulog, Bukidnon, for families displaced due to the conflict between the government forces and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), as well as in Buluan, a community from neighboring Sarawagon, a former base camp for the Communist rebels in the 1970s. Through their engagement, JTS helped these communities heal from the scars of war, and build a culture of peace.
Aside from their projects in remote areas, JTS actively provided emergency relief to victims of natural calamities. The Society donated goods to 1,000 families in the aftermath of Typhoon Sendong (internationally known as "Washi").
JTS has also helped empower locals by training them on the concept of self-help and by putting up resource centers for farmers.
International impact
The mission of JTS has led them to serve in other Asian countries. In 1994, JTS India was established to address the needs of poor communities. The Society has built and sustained schools, hospitals, and communities in India. JTS and its network of volunteers continue to serve poor communities also in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and North Korea.