The Garden of Hope Foundation, a Taipei-based non-government organization (NGO) dedicated to helping abused women and girls, held a fundraiser in New York on Saturday in preparation for opening a branch in the US city.
The New York Chapter of the Garden of Hope Foundation is scheduled to begin operations in six months to help abused ethnic Chinese and Taiwanese women and girls.
The chapter's organizing committee managed to raise about US$10,000 in Saturday's fund-raising bazaar, which was attended by Andrew Hsia (夏立言), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, and senior executives of many overseas Chinese groups in the greater New York area.
Addressing the tea party, Hsia said the "Taiwan miracle" has not only been characterized by the nation's successful economic development and political democratization but has also been admired by its thriving NGO development.
Over the past decades, Hsia said, private organizations have mushroomed in Taiwan and have contributed much to its development in various fields.
"Among others, the Garden of Hope Foundation has helped a large number of abused Taiwan women and girls overcome their ordeals and rebuild their life," Hsia said.
Founded in Taipei in 1988 by a group of Christians headed by American missionary Angie Golmon, the Garden of Hope now assists some 1,000 abused women nationwide each year.
Based on its Taiwan experience, the Garden of Hope decided to expand its services to ethnic Taiwanese and Chinese women in the greater New York area, hoping to offer a safe and warm shelter whenever they need it.
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