A Boy's Hope

When Joseph Kim was 4 years old, the North Korean famine struck his country in 1994. During his childhood, watched his father die of starvation, and his mother and sister had left him to sneak across the Chinese border to find work and food.

He never saw them again. At 13, he became an orphan and had to learn how to fend for himself. To make ends meet, he worked 16 hours a day in a coal mine and sought to find a dusty piece of bread in the trash to help him get by.

“When I could not fall asleep, from bitter cold or hunger pains, I hoped that the next morning my sister would come back to wake me up with my favorite food. That hope kept me alive.”

When he was 16, he sneaked into China, though it wasn’t an easy decision. Runaways were sometimes shot, or if they made it across the border, were forced into prostitution or labor.

Kim eventually found aid and shelter in China, and help to travel to the United States. In America, his foster family provided perspective.

One night for dinner, Kim’s foster mother made chicken wings. He wanted another wing, but decided against it when he realized there wasn’t enough for everyone. His foster father placed it on his plate, and Kim was grateful beyond words.

His foster father’s generosity reminded him of his biological father’s selflessness, how he shared his food with Kim even if he was starving. Kim promised himself that he would study hard and get the best education in American to honor his biological father’s sacrifice.

Kim chose to have hope and believe, even in his darkest hours. Hope brought him out of hunger, and brought him to America.

He says, “Have hope for yourself but also help each other. Life can be hard for everyone, wherever you live… A piece of bread can satisfy your hunger, and having hope will bring you bread to keep alive. But I confidently believe that your act of love and caring can save another Joseph’s life and save thousands of other Josephs who still have hope to survive.”