Taichung, Taiwan
By Hao Hsueh-Ching, The Central News Agency
Taichung, May 4 (CAN) “Sponsoring needy children domestically and overseas is the best way to display Taiwan’s strength, “ President-elect Ma Ying-Jeou said during an award ceremony organized by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) to honor “self-reliant mothers” at the Splendor Hotel in Taichung. Ma said that although Taiwan is geographically small in size, it is ranked fifth in the world according to the number of needy children from poor families it sponsors. Ma was invited by TFCF Chairman Lin Po-Rung to present the awards at its 2008 ceremony, which has been held each year by the TFCF. Highly praised by Lin, Ma is a consistent long-term sponsor of the TFCF program to help financially deprived children both in Taiwan and abroad since 1996. These include children from Swaziland, Ecuador and Yilan, northeastern Taiwan.
Pointing out that there are over 3,000 people who commit suicide each year in Taiwan, Ma said the number could have been higher if it were not for the TFCF and the help it provides to people. He praised the TFCF for its liberal efforts over the past 58 years in helping families in need from Taiwan and elsewhere. Ma appealed to all Taiwanese to reach out more and contribute to charitable works.
Ma was deeply moved by seeing so many self-reliant mothers at the ceremony. He mentioned that 11 years ago during a visit to the South Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands, he saw a local child wearing a uniform bearing the name of a certain junior high school in Taiwan. According to Ma, this shows Taiwan has grown from a recipient of compassion to an exporter of charity.
Ma hoped that people who received help will one day themselves become donors and contribute to help other disadvantaged people.
(Translated by Agnes Hsu)
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