Growing up, I always loved watching the news with my grandmother. This summer, we saw a documentary called “A Symbol of the Gap between the Rich and the Poor: Lima’s ‘Wall of Shame.’”

It started with a narration about a giant wall on the side of a poor shanty town, and then they interviewed villagers. I was shocked at how basic things like gas, electricity, and water were so valuable to the people. Then, across the wall, they showed a wealthy community. Residents were against destroying the wall since they were afraid the villagers would rob them. I was shocked that such a place existed, but my grandmother told me that actually there is a place like that right here in Seoul. In my hometown of Gangnam, the richest neighborhood of Seoul, there is a shanty town called Guryong. My grandmother took me there and I saw the wealth gap issue for myself. My first thought when I saw the shacks surrounded by tall city buildings was that it looked like the two were Photoshopped together. Then I saw trash along the streets and fire extinguishers outside of shacks with fabric-lined walls and roofs layered with trash. I realized how dangerous it was for the residents there. But this isn’t just an issue in Peru or Korea–places like this exist all over the world

So, for the last year I have tried to help my community. I started to volunteer at the Geumcheon Nuri Social Welfare Center. This is a center for social minorities. This includes the elderly, who can’t take care of themselves. It also includes people that are so poor they can’t afford to eat. When the volunteers meet, we all donate ten dollars in local currency and go shopping together to buy groceries to help the people at the Center.