A mother in Guatemala and her daughters have handcrafted a Republic of China flag and sent it to a charity in Taiwan as a token of appreciation for donations from Taiwanese that enabled her children to pay for their education.
Twelve-year-old Norma and 10-year-old Maria live in Corazon del Maiz, Guatemala. Their father has been in poor health and been unemployed for many years.
Since 2004, the sisters have received NT$700 a month each from the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCC), which has helped their family's financial situation.
PHOTO: SU MENG-CHUAN, TAIPEI TIMES
Norma, Maria and their mother decided they wanted to give something in return, so they made the flag and sent it to the TFCC.
Liao Chih-wen (
"It was something quite touching," he said.
He said it had taken the girls two months to gather all the materials they needed and about one month to create the flag.
"First, they wove the red color into a cloth about 75cm long and 50cm wide," Liao said. "Then they found another piece of cloth for the blue color and attached the two pieces together. Finally, they sewed the white [sun] on top of the blue piece."
Liao said the TFCC did not want to disclose the sisters' full names for reasons of privacy.
The TFCC has helped support 670 children in Corazon del Maiz in recent years.
Several Taiwanese charities help communities in other countries that live below the poverty level.
World Vision Taiwan, for example, helps 80,000 children and teenagers in 27 countries annually.
Donations collected through the Tzu Chi Foundation and Dharma Drum Mountain organization for victims of the December 2004 tsunami helped rebuild schools in affected areas.
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