"I can't imagine how difficult it must have been...I'm getting emotional," actor Gong Myoung is moved by the video letter from the children of Uganda.
On the 17th at 1:30 p.m., KBS 1TV's 'Love Across the Sea Season 4 - Another Story' will broadcast a hopeful message from Gong Myoung, who conveyed love and comfort to the children of Uganda dedicated to their families amidst endless poverty and hunger.
♦ The struggle of siblings who barely have enough for a meal...the orphaned siblings, Christine and David, face hunger.
"Thinking about how hard it must have been really makes me emotional" - during Gong Myoung's interview -
Uganda, known as 'the pearl of Africa' for its beautiful natural environment, is facing the severe problem of child poverty due to the climate crisis. Karamoja, located a 12-hour drive from the capital Kampala, is the area with the highest poverty rate in Uganda, where many children suffer from labor and hunger.
After meeting the children in the Karamoja region of Uganda, Gong Myoung shares a special story in the 'Love Across the Sea' studio, conveying warm comfort and hope to the Ugandan children who have become breadwinners too early.
♦ The struggle of siblings who face difficulties even with one meal...the orphaned siblings, Christine and David.
The orphaned siblings Christine (10 years old) and David (11 years old), who take care of three younger siblings. Two years ago, after both parents passed away from illness, the siblings started working to take responsibility for their younger siblings. Christine wades barefoot into a muddy puddle swarming with bugs, hoping to find some gold dust, but ultimately finds nothing. Without time to be disheartened, Christine heads into the mountains to help her brother David, thinking about her starving younger siblings. The siblings try to find firewood to sell, but no one in their impoverished situation can buy firewood.
Today again, the siblings are in tears as they face the reality that their younger siblings have to go hungry. Gong Myoung notes that his heart still aches thinking about the children. When will the children be able to live without the worry of hunger, as Gong Myoung desires?
♦ The girl who swallows her tears alone...the youngest guardian facing malnutrition, Auma.
Auma (10 years old), the only guardian of her cousins, lost her mother and even her aunt left the cousins behind to go away. The MCs can't hide their surprise at the story of how Auma suddenly became responsible for her cousins. To make matters worse, her cousin Bashir is hospitalized due to severe malnutrition. Auma, who goes back and forth between the hospital and home every day, is worried that even her remaining cousins might become malnourished.
Seeing Auma silently crying while taking care of her cousins without anyone to rely on, the MCs are left speechless. Where did the 10-year-old girl shed her deep tears? Auma's tragic story, which brought sorrow to the studio, will be revealed.
♦ The boy growing up in a dangerous quarry...Mary is digging for hope with her bare hands.
Mary (11 years old), who lives with her younger sibling, lost her parents to illness and decided to go to work instead of school to take care of her sibling. In the quarry, Mary breaks stones with her bare hands without any equipment, her body is covered in wounds from sharp stone fragments. The MCs are deeply moved by Gong Myoung's words conveying the dangers of the site he experienced firsthand. Though she works hard, today the unsold stones keep piling up, and Mary, who hasn't eaten in three days, sets out to find a different job.
Mary finds work carrying water next door and makes six trips back and forth with a water container weighing over 10 kg, finally getting her first meal after three days. The studio can't hide its astonishment at the meal that the siblings finally get after such a long time. The heartbreaking story surrounding the first meal that Mary managed to obtain will be revealed.
▶ A special letter from Uganda
The children of Uganda sent a video letter to Gong Myoung, who conveyed heartfelt comfort to them. A special letter that moved the studio will be revealed in 'Love Across the Sea.'
[Photo] 'Love Across the Sea'
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