Welfare institutions are asking the government for help as they suffer from the economic downturn, representatives from the institutions said at a public hearing hosted by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如) yesterday.
“Social welfare is the government’s responsibility and welfare organizations are there to help the government out,” Republic of China Association for Mentally Handicapped People chairman Wang Ping-che (王秉哲) said. “But now we’re also hit by the global financial crisis and a lot of us may have to close if the government doesn’t help us.”
According to regulations, a shelter for the mentally or physically challenged can receive NT$20,000 (US$606) per month for each person staying there.
The amount consists of the monthly payment from parents of the person in the shelter and subsidies from the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). The ratio is determined on a case-by-case basis.
Wang pointed out that the monthly average cost of caring for a mentally or physically challenged person was at least NT$30,000.
“Because of the economic downturn, most welfare organizations are facing declines in donations, while costs continue to rise,” Skill Training Center for the Mentally Handicapped director Lee Chung-hsin (李崇信) said. “We’ve also had a lot of cases in which parents can no longer afford to pay for their children’s stay in shelters.”
“In the past, some organizations could survive on interest from the money in their bank accounts,” Wang said. “But it’s no longer an option now as the interest rate has dropped to next to nothing.”
“If the Ministry of Economic Affairs can cut junior high and elementary school electricity bills by 50 percent, I don’t see why welfare groups sheltering the handicapped cannot get that discount,” Chen said.
MOI Social Affairs Department director Tseng Chung-ming (曾中明) said that the ministry would look into the groups’ demands.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS