ASSIST

On average, each migrant that we support requires $1,200 for health and legal services. To maintain our current work, we rely largely on partnerships, grants, and pro-bono work. We hope that the Elevate Prize will allow us to achieve three goals. 

First, we aim to expand our network for medical services in other countries. As of now, our mental health and legal branches operate internationally, while our general health branch operates in South Korea. Through increased funding, we hope to establish partnerships with general health hospitals in countries such as China, Thailand, and the Philippines. 

Second, we hope to employ our EAP counselors full-time. Currently, upon certification, our EAP counselors work around 10-15 hours per week. However, we have realized the importance of employing full-time counselors as our organization grows in size. 

Finally, we intend to provide services for all migrants, undocumented and documented. When we began in 2019, we were housed under a government-sponsored migrant center, preventing us from helping undocumented migrants. Since 2021, as an independent organization, we are the one of few organizations in South Korea serving undocumented populations. Through the Elevate Prize, we hope to allocate more of our resources towards this cause. 

I was born and raised in South Korea. Resources were always available at the ends of my fingertips. When I left to study in the US, things were a little different. I didn’t know how to get referrals to hospital specialists. It was difficult to apply for a social security number. On top of that, I missed home. 

After experiencing personal difficulties, I relied on Stanford’s Bridge Peer Counseling Center to vent and talk about my struggles. There, I realized the importance of sharing common experiences with other students. Empowering myself came from within my community. 

I believe that the same applies to migrants. During high school,  I worked to expand educational accessibility for migrants by building local libraries. With my connections, I brought forth the idea of ASSIST. 

As a part of our mental health branch, we train migrants to become EAP-certified counselors. Following certification, migrant counselors provide online support groups, empowering their own community. Ultimately, ASSIST provides trauma-informed, holistic care for migrants through health and legal services.  

In the future, I hope to pursue JD/PhD (Neuroscience) degrees to develop medical treatments for brain disorders and study the effects of trauma in the legal system. 

ASSIST provides legal and mental/general health relief clinics for migrant and returnee populations in South Korea, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines. We aim to create a joint legal and psychological support system for migrants experiencing domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, forced/voluntary repatriation, and industrial accidents. 

According to the National Human Rights Commission in South Korea, around 81.1% of migrant women experienced physical and verbal abuse, while 27.9% of migrant women were sexually assaulted (2020). Additionally, 305 migrant workers lost their lives from 2016 to 2018, and 18.4 migrant workers face injuries or deaths daily (2019). 

With severe physical injuries and psychological trauma, necessary care extends beyond immediate hospital visits. ASSIST responds to migrants through a multi-dimensional approach. ASSIST Mental Health connects migrants to mental health professionals via tele health and provides online support groups by training migrants to become EAP-certified counselors. ASSIST General Health connects migrants to hospitals/treatment centers and provides funding for outpatient and inpatient medical care. Finally, ASSIST Legal digitally delivers legal services and consultations to migrant populations in various legal proceedings.

ASSIST aims to bring holistic, trauma-informed support for migrants and returnees in Asian countries.

While ASSIST works as a central avenue to bring general/mental health and legal services to comprehensively address the needs of migrant populations, we believe that ultimately, empowerment comes from within the migrants and returnees. 

ASSIST takes a unique, innovative approach to help migrants empower their own communities. We offer professional Employee Assistance Program training and certification courses for migrants to become EAP-certified counselors. Following certification, migrants become part-time paid employees to provide counseling through online support groups. This year, our organization works with 11 migrants who are certified EAP counselors (we only release information about documented migrants). Many also opt to find employment elsewhere following certification. 

We realize that migrant support groups offer something that psychologists and psychiatrists cannot— rapport.  Migrants often share strong connections with each other based on similar cultural backgrounds, experiences, and languages. 

We also address language barriers that often disrupt psychological and psychiatric care. Studies have found that limited language proficiency is closely associated with the underutilization of psychiatric and psychological services. Our current cohort of counselors speak over 7 types of languages and come from more than 8 different countries. 

We simply assist migrants in empowering their own communities.

ASSIST leaves an impact on humanity by providing migrants access to long-term, quality general/mental healthcare and legal services at no cost. In many countries, the social welfare system fails to protect and support migrants. Such defects are often exacerbated for the undocumented migrant population. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected migrants, as many migrant domestic workers live in congested settings.

In order to bring tangible impacts to migrant communities, ASSIST established partnerships with over 7 organizations, including an EAP training and certification center, hospitals, psychiatric clinics, and law firms. All of our partners in medical care provide services at reduced costs, and our legal partners work pro bono.

Over the past two years, our organization has successfully provided medical, legal, and psychological care to over 250 cases from start to finish, trained over 50 migrants as EAP counselors, and operated services in over 6 countries. We believe in long-term commitment, meaning that we work with migrants and returnees until they reach legal, physical, and mental stability. 

In coming years, we hope to expand our medical services across various countries, secure more partnerships with pro bono lawyers and law firms, and expand our EAP certification and counseling training programs.