Many visitors to the DPRK want to make the most of their opportunity to have a positive impact. This is something we also strongly believe in, so we decided to sponsor and coordinate donations for the Korea Economic and Cultural Center for the Deaf and Blind charity.

What is it?

The center serves several purposes, but the critical goals are; to increase awareness about people with disabilities in North Korea, provide specialized education and opportunities to deaf and blind students, and to help provide employment for Deaf and Blind adults.

The charity teaches braille and sign language on site to young students and provides ongoing education to students beyond that as well. Deaf and Blind students and adults translate materials into braille and provide sign language videos for educational material to the intranet and schools throughout the country. It also has a carpentry workshop for deaf craftsmen and puts together a team of deaf football players who sometimes even compete abroad.

The building is still under construction and in need of all kinds of materials and educational aids, from desks and chairs to pens and notebooks, tools for the workshop and sporting goods for kids, as well as technical items like Braille typewriters and printers/embossers.

Check out our video here for more info:

Can I visit?

It is possible for independent groups or tourists to visit the center. They particularly welcome blind or deaf visitors from other countries. When visiting the center, however, one is expected to present a donation, so please ask us for more information if you’d like to add it to your itinerary.

How can I help?

When booking a tour, we give all our Pioneers the opportunity to add a donation to their payment. This is kept separate and used to aid the charity with various projects or coordinate with them to acquire necessary items. If you’d like to donate goods or equipment please contact us first so we can discuss logistics, as delivery services to Pyongyang aren’t the most effective.

If you aren’t taking a tour but would still like to help in some way, please contact us here!

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