Tsunami charity activity praised; Taiwan delegation receives kudos

The supervisory committee of the "Hope for Tomorrow, Love from Taiwan" activity recently formed a 12-person delegation to visit the areas ravaged by the tsunami that swept through South Asia two years ago. The activity was held in Taiwan shortly after the tsunami to raise money to help in the reconstruction of devastated areas. Marking the anniversary of the event, the Government Information Office arranged for the delegation to visit Sri Lanka as well as places in Indonesia most devastated by the tsunami, including Hambantota, Nias Island and Banda Aceh. During the one-week visit through the areas, the delegation received warm welcomes from residents of the places they went. Binahati B. Baeha, the district administrator for north Nias, specially presented a shield to the delegation that was inscribed with the words "Nias will forever thank you," expressing the gratitude of the people of Nias to the government and people of Taiwan.

The delegation formed by the supervisory committee for the activity included committee members Lin Chia-lung, Cheng Yu, Hsu Kuo-lang and representatives of Taiwan's media. The delegate set out on November 27, and its first destination was the Tzu Chi's Great Love Village in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka as well as a Taiwan relief and assistance center in Tangalle. Presently, the Tzu Chi Foundation has erected 649 houses in the Hambantota area, providing shelter for families whose homes were destroyed in the tsunami. Meanwhile, the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families has set up two community centers in Tangalle and Hambantota, and has also built two children's centers and children's recreation facilities, all of which are part of the Tangalle Taiwan Children's Program. The agency has also implemented an after-school educational tutoring program as well as pre-school children's care and development projects. These efforts are aimed at providing care for children and youth, and assisting pregnant women. The agency is also helping those whose lives were impacted by the disaster to obtain resources as quickly as possible to be able to rebuild their livelihoods.

After visiting Sri Lanka, the delegation headed to Nias Island in Indonesia to get a first-hand understanding of the assistance provided by World Vision Taiwan in reconstruction. The organization has built 10 pre-fabricated structures to house schools. It has also issued uniforms, book bags and text books to school children. Over 3,000 people have benefited from this project.

Finally, the delegation visited the Tzu Chi's Great Love Village in Banda Aceh. The Tzu Chi Foundation has already erected over 1,700 homes in three areas of the city. It has also built a junior high school, an elementary school and kindergartens, all of which are already in use, providing instruction and care to over 1,000 children. Upon completing its trip to the area, the delegation returned to Taiwan on December 3.

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, the Director of the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency for Aceh and Nias, met with the delegation to express his gratitude. He praised the NGOs commissioned by the Government Information Office to undertake the reconstruction work, saying that the work was carried out smoothly and efficiently. In praising the contributions made in the reconstruction effort, he said that the people of Taiwan should feel extremely proud.

The Government Information Office and the local media initiated the "Hope For Tomorrow, Love from Taiwan" activity in January 2005 in order to provide assistance to victims of the South Asian tsunami. A total of NT$407.5 million (US$13 million) in donations was raised in the effort. In July of the same year, the GIO commissioned four Non Government Organizations, namely the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, World Vision Taiwan, the Tzu Chi Foundation, and the Child Welfare League Foundation, to execute projects for areas devastated by the South Asia tsunami as well projects to care for underprivileged Taiwan children and youth.

GIO Minister Cheng Wen-tsang applauded the contributions made by these four NGOs over the past two years and expressed his thanks for their work. Cheng also urged the local media to report more on positive stories of people who have been helped by the aid in order to enable the Taiwan public to better understand the achievements of this activity, of which so many participated. He added that this would further express Taiwan's ability and willingness to repay the international community and help raise Taiwan's international image.