Hana Financial provides assistance for low-income teen caregivers

By Lee Kyung-min

Hana Financial Group launched a program providing teen caregivers with healthy meals and one-on-one mentoring, the group said Thursday.

The socially vulnerable low-income children are responsible for not only taking care of physically challenged family members but also making a living to support them. They often face difficulties in education, emotional well-being, professional career development and finding jobs.

The group plans to provide 1,111 households with lunchboxes featuring nutritious dishes every week.

Hana will offer the children boxes of fruits, vitamins and cakes to help them celebrate family month in May.

A group of mentors will be assigned to regularly check their emotional well-being through phone conversations and in-person sessions.

Community center officials will call or visit them every other month to monitor their mental and physical health.

Hana will select program recipients based on household income levels and the health conditions of their family members, as recommended by health ministry guidelines.

Ham said the group plans to expand the program to foster the healthy growth of young children under the heavy pressure of caretaking and income earning.

“We hope the program provides a sense of family and care to the vulnerable children deserving of love and affection,” he said.

The program is part of the group’s continued efforts to bolster social contributions.

Hana completed building 100 day care centers over the past six years. It has also outlined programs to nurture young entrepreneurs and offer scholarships.

The company has spent 150 billion won since 2018 to provide child care to around 9,200 infants and created about 2,000 jobs.

It launched a life-cycle based project last month for disabled people to help them lead healthy and economically independent lives.