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Ministry calls on NGOs to support network for kids

As part of a project to improve after-school care for children and teenagers, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) yesterday called on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to work with the ministry to build a community-based network.

“Because of changes in social and family structures, we’ve noticed increasing numbers of families with a single parent or foreign spouse. There are more families suffering financial difficulties and it is increasingly common for children to be raised by grandparents,” said Huang Chen-jung (黃貞容), an official at the ministry’s Children’s Bureau.

“To lift some childcare pressure off these families and to prevent them from being marginalized, we’ve launched a project to build a community-based childcare network with government resources,” she said.

Huang said the ministry had asked for help from NGOs because the recession had affected its budget.

“We will need about 80 NGOs to work with us to create more centers for youngsters across the country and to strengthen the social security network,” she said, adding that the project would include after-school childcare and education, psychological counseling and group activities.

Children’s Welfare League Foundation executive director Alicia Wang (王育敏) welcomed the project but urged the ministry to pay more attention to health issues for children in disadvantaged families.

“Children from disadvantaged families often need some help with schoolwork, since their parents cannot afford to send them to cram schools or tutorial centers,” Wang said. “However, they also need help with medical provision.”

Wang pointed out that many parents in disadvantaged families cannot afford to pay for any health insurance — including the National Health Insurance — so are often reluctant to take their children to see doctors.
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