A series of events have been organized to celebrate the 45th anniversary of international aid work carried out by the International Cooperation and Development Fund's (ICDF, 國際合作發展基金會) missions abroad.
ICDF, a branch of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is the sole body in charge of the nation's cooperative overseas development programs. Its mission is to strengthen international cooperation and foreign relations by sending well-trained professionals or volunteers to help other nations.
Events planned for the celebration include a fun fair, drawing and writing contests and an exhibition featuring an array of photos and awards which capture images of the hard work and dedication of the overseas technical missions, as well as more than 400 handicrafts from the scores of countries where the ICDF has sent its missions.
The exhibition, held inside the Presidential Office, will run until Sept. 30 to allow the public to gain a better insight into the work and contributions made by the overseas missions.
A fun fair is also been scheduled to take place on Aug. 7 at the square in front of the Presidential Office. The fair, which will run from 9am to 4:40pm, will feature various booths as well as entertainment by Latin American and African artists and dance groups.
"It has been 45 years since Taiwan dispatched its first agricultural mission to Vietnam in 1959 to help the nation develop its agriculture," said Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun at the opening of the exhibition last Friday.
"It is our hope the exhibition can let the Taiwanese public know how our technical missions are quietly plying their skills in various countries around the world and help them gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan's commitment to international cooperation and humanitarian aid," Yu said.
ICDF Secretary-General Chen Cheng-chung (
"We hope the series of events will inspire the youth of our nation to rise up and join in the effort of international cooperation," he said.
The ICDF currently has 36 missions in various parts of the world. These include missions in Africa -- in Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Swaziland.
In Asia, the ICDF has missions stationed in Fiji, Indonesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
In the Caribbean, there are missions in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Missions to Central America include those stationed in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador.
In South America there are missions in Ecuador and Paraguay. The nation also has missions in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The overseas missions are categorized into various assistance projects: technical, medical, agricultural, investment, humanitarian, educational and training projects, Chen Cheng-chung said.
While members who engage in these projects abroad must give up the material pleasures and conveniences of Taiwan's comfortable lifestyle, many have no complaints.
"When you see those you've helped return to you with smiling faces, you are really filled with a strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction -- and all the hard work was worth it," said Dung Tong-hsiung (董通雄), leader of the ICDF's mission to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Chen Chi-ming (
The tasks of various technical missions include teaching skills to the underprivileged and developing and implementing projects such as growing crops on what was originally barren land, as well as building dams and laying irrigation, just to name a few.
Among the projects undertaken by the overseas technical missions is what has been dubbed the "Taiwan wonder" -- a huge rice plantation in a desert near Lake Bagre in central Burkina Faso.
Using water from the nearby Bagre Dam, the Bagre Rice Plantation, also known as the Bagre Project, covers over 1,000 hectares and was developed using funds and technology from Taiwan between 1995 and 2000. It is now the major granary of the landlocked African country.
To facilitate the rice plantation there, Taiwan helped develop a 580m-long canal system along the River Nakambe. The canal system is the largest in all of West Africa.
On the heels of the Bagre Project, Taiwan also helped Burkina Faso develop another 200 hectares of rice paddies near the River Nakambe (White Volta) and is helping the locals to develop their fishing industry in the Bagre area.
With ponds, tidal boxes, labs and feed factories built one after another, the 16 hectare Bagre Fish Culture Center is expected to yield 150 tonnes of fresh fish each year from next year, becoming an important source of protein for the people of Burkina Faso.
The latest addition to Taiwan's technical assistance abroad was the inauguration of a public health clinic last Monday in a remote area of Burkina Faso. The clinic will offer medical services to the poor and needy.
Admiring the progress of these developments during his recent visits to Burkina Faso and Chad, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) noted that international cooperation is one of the major parts of the nation's foreign policy, and said it is his hope "that in the future, even more ambitious young people will participate in our work to provide overseas service."
"Taiwan was poor back in the 1950s and received assistance from others," Chen Cheng-chung said. "Through the ICDF's overseas missions, Taiwan is giving back to the international community."
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