Boy spearheads candy drive for African children

A 12-year-old boy in Changhua recently launched a "candy-raising" drive to collect 200,000 pieces of candies that he plans to send to Africa, where he believes some children might have heard of candies but have never had the chance of tasting them.

Lin Hung-chun (林宏濬), a sixth grader at Hoping Elementary School in Changhua City, said he was inspired by a book written by Lien Chia-en (連加恩) -- a Taiwanese doctor who worked in Burkina Faso as part of his alternative military service -- and decided to raise funds for the drive.

After learning about Lin's wish, Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yua (卓伯源) instructed his office to initiate a "one student, one candy" campaign, anticipating that funds can be raised from elementary schools all over the county and the money used to procure some 100,000 pieces of candy.

Cho himself donated 10,000 candies to support Lin's drive.

Lin called for Changhua schoolchildren to save their "red envelope" money received during holiday seasons to join his candy-raising drive.

He said he hoped that 200,000 pieces of candies can be procured before the end of the year so that he can take them to Africa during the winter break early next year.

Despite his age, this was not the first time that the young philanthropist

has helped others.

After learning that some students at Changhua Junior High School had no

money to buy lunch, Lin, a budding violinist, mobilized other musicians of

his age to give a free concert in front of the Changhua Railway Station last

month, raising NT$22,000 (US$678) for the students who could not afford

lunch.