The Childfund Korea, which opened its doors in 1948, has led child welfare in Korea starting with relief efforts for war orphans and operating the nation's first private nationwide sponsorship program for underprivileged children in 1981. In 1989, it established Korea's first Child Abuse Prevention Association, initiating child abuse prevention programs. In 2011, as the first children's NPO, it founded the Child Welfare Research Institute and has been conducting professional research to create child-friendly environments.