What is Youth Orchestra Without Borders?

YOWB is a nonprofit organization that empowers North Korean refugee youth in South Korea through music, education, housing, meals, mentorship, mental health counseling, and more.

Who are the students in the orchestra?

Our students are North Korean refugees living in South Korea. Most of them made their way to South Korea through unimaginable hardships, often having lost their parents on the way. Because of the DMZ dividing the Korean peninsula, North Korean escapees must defect north through China, where, if they are caught, they are sent back and imprisoned. If they make the thousand-mile trek through China and into Vietnam or Laos, they may be granted access and citizenship in South Korea.

Why is YOWB important?

Once the North Korean refugee youth make it to South Korea, they are often orphaned, and even if they are with their parents, it is a dramatic adjustment as they assimilate into a free society. We aim to ease their transition and give them a strong community of peers and role models as they explore their new freedoms.

How are donations used?

Our school is funded 100% by your generous donations. Our U.S. chapter is run entirely by volunteers. Every donation goes directly toward student support, housing, food, instruments, education, and programming expenses.