Sorok Uni Foundation was founded by Capt. Jae J. Jang, a businessman, a former ship captain, and a Christian on May 7, 2002. His frequent visits to Filipinos who were affected by leprosy, in then Tala Leprosarium (now Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital) in Tala, Caloocan, has inspired him to start an organization that would help Persons Affected by Leprosy (PALs). According to Capt. Jang, “When I had the chance to hold a deformed hand of a Hansen, I was touched. It was like God saying, “You have to help them”, and I felt I had to extend more help to cured leprosy patients”.
Adopting the name of Sorok Island (a leprosy colony in South Korea; like Culion Island in the Philippines), and combining with UNI (You and I) of the Uni Group of Companies, Capt. Jang has established Sorok Uni Foundation Inc., a non-profit, non-stock charitable organization that works for and with Persons Affected with Leprosy, Homeless and Displaced Families, Underprivileged Children and Disadvantaged Indigenous People of the Philippines. SUFI’s core programs are Relief, Rehabilitation, Empowerment and Sustainability to properly address the needs of the beneficiaries as persons-in-environment.
This is in line with the foundation’s mission to emancipate forgotten neighbors in the Philippines from social stigma and lowest level of poverty through empowerment and building sustainable communities. These efforts of the foundation are directed towards its vision of having “A PHILIPPINES WITHOUT FORGOTTEN NEIGHBORS”.
Main sources of funding are the Uni Group of Companies (10 companies that are in the business of shipping, forwarding, IT, trucking) and Chairman Jae J. Jang.
