As part of President Park Geun-hye's official state visits to Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya over the next week, the government's new developmental aid program, "Korea Aid," is set to launch in Addis Ababa.

Korea Aid is a customizable developmental aid program that provides healthcare and food, as well as Korean media and content, to local communities by truck. The project is based on ideas presented by President Park Geun-hye in her speech "Better Life for Girls" at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit in September last year.

To kick-start the project, the Korean government has sent over one medical examination vehicle, two ambulances, three food services trucks, one refrigeration truck, one multimedia truck and two backup vehicles to the beneficiary nations.

The main focus of Korea Aid is healthcare. The medical service vehicles will visit local communities where healthcare is needed the most, and provide pelvic examinations for women, pediatric care for young children as well as general health checkups. Other services include first aid treatment, drug prescriptions, and the provision of basic healthcare kits. Educational sessions will also be held for young girls, with a focus on sanitation, hygiene and sex education.

The food services trucks, on the other hand, will provide residents with a combination of Korean and local dishes, as well as processed food products made with rice. People can also participate in a program that introduces Korean agricultural techniques. Finally, the multimedia trucks will showcase different aspects of Korean society to local audiences, including K-pop and other media.

President Park Geun-hye, accompanied by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, will pay a visit to the launch site of Korea Aid on May 28.

On May 25 in the Ethiopian Herald, President Park said that, "I believe our new aid program on wheels, which directly impacts local residents while introducing Korea at the same time, will allow the citizens of our two nations to make heart-to-heart connections. We're happy to begin a new chapter by opening Korea Aid, here in Ethiopia."

By Lee Hana
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
hlee10@korea.kr