A "well of hope" will be established in Malawi in Africa to supply drinking water.

GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, President: Jungho Sunu) announced that it has decided to provide the Karonga region in Malawi with a nano-membrane filtration type water purification system developed by its School of Environmental Science and Engineering through Cheong-Ja Kim, 65, who is an ex-professor at the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA).

Through a project named "Ongdalsaem Project", which can be roughly translated into the “fountain project", the School of Environmental Science and Engineering of GIST has donated water purification systems starting from Siem Reap, Cambodia in 2006, followed by North Sudan in 2008 and the Agangrial village in Sudan in 2009.

Ex-professor Cheong-Ja Kim, one of the big names of overseas expansion of Korean vocal music, retired from KNUA in November 2009 and plans to leave for Karonga to render voluntary service in September. Leaving all her fame as a famous vocalist behind, she has revealed her plan to donate her private funds to Malawi and to devote herself to voluntary service in Africa so it has become a topic of conversation.

Professor Cheong-Ja Kim (second from the left) is learning how to operate the water purification system that GIST contributed.

This donation was realized through a phone call from professor Kim to professor Jae-Won Cho, 48, at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering when she heard GIST"s Ongdalsaem Project through media. Despite the tight dealine, professor Cho set to develop a water purification system suitable to the local environment of Malawi upon professor Kim"s request and the system was completed for a month. H2L (CEO: Ik-Bae Yang), a water treatment company, has given their helping hands, providing GIST with components required for the water purification system at no cost.

The water purification system developed by GIST is operated by humanpower so that is usable even in places without electricity. This epochal system can purify underground water contaminated with muds and pathogenic microorganisms as clean as drinking water. The system is capable of purifying up to four tons of water a day so it will be a great help to solving the village"s water problem.

Professor Cho said "I hope GIST"s small effort will make smile bloom on the faces of African residents who are suffering from water shortage," adding "We will surely continue Ongdalsaem Project."

Meanwhile, ex-professor Kim visited GIST on the 9th to present herself in the donation ceremony and to give a lecture to students and the faculty.