The Girls Friendly Society (GFS) was officially founded, within the Anglican Church, in 1875 in England by Mary Elizabeth Townsend to offer spiritual and physical support and friendship to girls and young women who left home and had no local support especially in “at risk” situations. At the beginning the GFS provided accommodations to many working-class country girls who left home to take up urba
n employment and helped them find jobs; and then it started offering them training courses to increase their employability, ante- and post-natal advice, parenting, and etc. Currently, there are 22 member countries in the GFS. Every three years, representatives of 22 countries meet at a World Council, held in the country of the World President, and a World Project is selected for the coming three years. www.gfsworld.org
The GFS in Korea was established in 1965 as the World Project of the 5th GFS World Council in Japan. Since its establishment, the GFS Korea has continued supporting women at risk situations and the disadvantaged in our society. In 2008, the GFS Korea hosted the 19th GFS World Council in Seoul. At the World Council the ‘U-mul-ga’ Project, providing support female North Korean defectors and their family, was selected as one of the 2008 World projects and it is still on. Currently, there are 19 branches running across the country and about 500 members are actively involved in its programmes and projects. Notice: GFS Korea Leadership monitors this site and will remove any inappropriate comments we believe undermine the spirit of this site - which is to provide GFS Korea members and sponsors, past and present, with a forum to share information, take pride in what we do and to support our efforts to secure the future of GFS Korea.
