Dr. Taecksoo Chun

I have to share this story or my feelings about a special peace builder hero. Many Americans ask me why do we always seem to work with other countries---we don’t just work with other countries. We work with all countries including so much of our own USA states and organizations. We know that there are children everywhere that need things ranging from basic needs like food and shelter, clean water to drink and bath in, and the right to an education. And so that’s where we go. We follow our hearts. We paint murals, we make music, we paint shoes, we create spoken word and stories, and many of the people who participate create videos and are now starting to create dance and live theater inspired by mural art!

Dr. Chun "Reflection"  (Photo by Joanne Tawfilis)

Art Miles Mural Project (AMMP) is ending yet another year of incredible happenings and giving of ourselves and I mean most of the entire team. But with all that has been so trying and successful, I want to share something that touched my heart this month when I was fortunate enough to be invited to Cambodia for the delivery of 10,000 pairs of shoes. There were other events in Cambodia along the way including the opening of a Children’s Center and a Library, and the honor of being amongst those activities was profound to say the least. But something special happened to me on this trip and it had a lot to do with the leadership of Dr. Taecksoo Chun, the Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO.

Sometimes supporting the Decade for a Culture of Peace, even under this new administration seems unappreciated or trivialized by so many that we would think would recognize the merit and accomplishments we have made. However, the bottom line is that if we do what we profess we do, that should be our first and foremost accomplishment and fulfill us—after all, it has NEVER been about money or fame. There have been times, when I simply have given up on the bureaucracy—especially having worked in it as a career. Somehow, we have miraculously succeeded because AMMP has created MODEL for grass roots all volunteer organization to operate from. All of our team works with our hearts. And I think having an opportunity for Dr. Chun to see how AMMP started the Shoes of Hope and witnessing what happens live and in person during delivery was indeed magical.

There in Cambodia I became a witness to a living example of a neighbor (South Korea) reaching out to another neighbor—only this time, their neighbor in a nearby country. Much of this was due to the leadership of a real peace builder, Dr. Chun, who instead of sitting behind a desk or chairing a major conference, was there working with a heart in Cambodia. I know there are good leaders, great leaders that work within the bureaucracies, but it is a rare thing to be privileged to the see and feel the sheer enthusiasm, emotion, and humbleness that I saw in Dr. Chun. His very warm smile would appear at the sight of a smiling child opening their canvas bag filled with a pair of pink shoes or high tops and art supplies, some clothing and of course, the personal messages created by Korean children. The children swarmed around him, wanted to touch him and loved being in the presence of someone they knew to be so special. The air was perfumed with an essence of caring and sharing and the sound of laughter and joy from the hundreds of children who lived deep into this rural area where red dust thickened the searing humidity and seemed to just hang in mid air seeping into the cars and vans and covering our shoes. I came to think of it as “magical red fairy dust” because at the end of each red dusty road, magic seemed to happen…and it was everywhere outside the city limits!

Participants in Shoes of Hope in Seoul, South Korea (MIZY Center)

But then there were moments when Dr. Chun, at the sight of an unhappy or shoeless child, and seeing how they lived in bamboo huts, without running water, one could easily see the expression on his face become somber and contemplative, pensive, deep into thought and feeling compassion that rose above the rice paddies and trees, and through the river and swamp water where the people lived. I watched him walk beyond the school where the shoes were delivered, walk around the grounds of the library, and then again, as in the photo below, walk among the trees after visiting the home and family of the young girl student who couldn’t afford to go to school and because of assistance provided by the MIZY Center and sponsors, returned again as a star student. Despite her hardships and ultra simplistic life, she was determined to get her education. I could tell he was humbled and moved by this personal visit and I took the photo as he seemed to regenerate his own emotions from these experiences.

I watched him gaze at the World Cultural Heritage sites with great concern, as he listened to the brutal stories of past conflicts and wars and of genocide and massive loss of lives. I know the term “The Killing Fields” will now and forever be embedded in our hearts, including his. Yet, going through the special center where disabled and handicapped people create incredible works of art, carvings, silk, weavings, and sculpture, you could see him linger there or wander into a room where wood carvers were lost in their attention to detail, barely noticing the man standing there watching as the knowledge that education and culture was thriving amongst this special village.

Shoes of Hope recipients from rural school in Cambodia  (Photo by Joanne Tawfilis)

It seems I get lucky with finding such HEROES. And now I have a new one to add to my list — Dr. Taecksoo Chun, a man who came from behind his desk to get out there and see for himself what is going on in the world, to get behind projects physically, emotionally, and spiritually and interact with real people. To me, he is a real peace builder. He spoke to me of his aim to really promote the 2nd World Conference on Arts in Education, among so many other projects that through his leadership, embodies the mission of UNESCO. South Korea has become a shining example of a country that used to be a recipient of humanitarian aid, and which has now become a country that is a giver—giving back and sharing with its success and reaching out to her neighbor and to Art Miles; the project that started Shoes of Hope, and letting us have a glimpse of where they have taken the project. My heart has been warmed and I really cannot think of a better Christmas gift that to have become witness to the leadership of my new Hero, Dr. Chun, who now too, has become enraptured with Red Fairy Dusty of Cambodia.