The summer vacation is coming to an end, and the new semester is coming. For children from poor families and living in rural areas, the inescapable economic difficulties and the widening gap between urban and rural areas are obstacles for these young lives to study, hindering them from going to school.
SAI saw the needs of the children and carried out the corporate social responsibility by donating NT$210,000 bursary to support the local Yunlin children. SAI Fu-De Charity Foundation Executive Director Gary Huang also led his employees to serve as one-day volunteers to read books, play educational board games and other activities with the children, accompanied them to spend a day of summer vacation.
“My dream is to be an engineer in the future” and “I want to be a teacher in the future”. 11 primary school children shared their dreams with the corporate volunteers. Through interactive activities, corporate volunteers meet the children, get to know each other, and understand and care about their learning situation and needs. Xiao-yu (pseudonym), who is about to enter the fifth grade of elementary school, lives with his grandparents, father and younger sister. Xiao-yu’s father is unable to go out to work because of mental illness and needs long-term medical treatment. Relying on his elderly grandmother to do odd jobs for a living, the meager income has to bear the family’s living expenses and the education expenses of the young sisters, the financial burden is very heavy.
Xiao-rui (pseudonym), another fourth-grade elementary school student who attended with his elder sister and younger sister, is a loving and caring child. He was diagnosed with ADHD by doctor a few days ago. After drug treatment and his own efforts, he is now able to participate and learn steadily in classroom. Xiao-rui’s parents divorced due to domestic violence. The family’s finances and the education expenses of the three children all depend on their mother’s income from odd jobs as a food vendor in the night market. The after-school care program also provide opportunities for them to enjoy the summer vacation life.
SAI Fu-De Charity Foundation Executive Director Gary Huang said that enterprises and foundations continue to implement Yunlin’s “Three virtues” “─ Use practical actions to connect “kindness”, “love”, and “warmth” to appeal more people and local companies to join. Education is the best way to open children’s visions, and at the same time give these children the opportunity to change their future. Executive Director Huang also said “through today’s volunteer experience and face-to-face interaction with the children, I can see the innocence and simplicity of them. Although the economic difficulties limit the children’s learning and growth, companionship and care can bring them courage to face challenges, and retain the enthusiasm to pursue dreams.”
Hu Wan-wen, Director of World Vision Taiwan Central District Office, expressed her gratitude to SAI and the SAI Fu-De Charity Foundation for their loving donation and the support for the disadvantaged families in Yunlin area. The recent impact of the epidemic on the general environment has not only affected the livelihood of disadvantaged families, but also added challenges to the poor children on the way to school. Facing the upcoming new semester education expenses, the needs of these children urgently require continuous attention and support from all walks of life.
Through the “Domestic Student Aid Action”, World Vision Taiwan distributes bursaries before the start of the new semester every year to support children from economically disadvantaged families to go to school stably. We invite you to support the “Domestic Student Assistance Action” and start the new semester with accompanying children from economically disadvantaged families to broaden their learning paths.
