Decades ago, Taiwanese agricultural missions brought knowledge and skills to help people in Africa. But in some cases, members of those missions fathered children who were then left behind to grow up without normal parental care.
Altogether there are over 400 children fathered by Taiwanese men deployed in African countries during the 1960s and 1970s, according to missions based there today.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
For some of the children, their Taiwanese origins are known. But many others have been left behind, abandoned, never to meet the biological fathers who have their own families in Taiwan.
The Pearl S. Buck Foundation Taiwan (賽珍珠基金會), which has helped Amerasian children in Taiwan, called on the public yesterday to show concern for African-born Taiwanese.
Chuang Li-chuan (莊禮傳), executive-general of the foundation, spelled out the difficulties African-Taiwanese have faced in adjusting to African society.
"They look Asian and they find it difficult to become incorporated into African society because of this. They can't become Taiwanese either, as their fathers have their own families in Taiwan, families which have never been told about" these African children, said Chuang, himself an Amerasian.
A woman identified only as Ms Chao, working for the Foundation, discussed the outright job discrimination faced by children of mixed blood. "They don't want to talk to you or even see your resume. As soon as you walk in, their mind's are made up."
Before 1980, when overseas trips were prohibited in Taiwan, families of those who went on agricultural missions were not allowed to go to African countries. It was under these circumstances that a number of members of the missions developed relationships with African women.
When they were withdrawn from Africa, they abandoned their women and the children that resulted from the intercultural relationships.
Chuang said at least 100 of the children have grown up under the care of members of present Taiwanese agricultural missions.
Some of them have been provided with financial assistance for schooling, and some have been given job opportunities at the missions.
"These abandoned children are grown up now, but some of them are still torn between their Taiwanese origins and their real lives in Africa even to this day," Chuang said.
The foundation in Taiwan, one of six Asian branches of the US-based group, has long assisted Amerasian children abandoned by their fathers -- US soldiers deployed in Taiwan during the Cold War period -- to adjust to Taiwanese society.
Chuang said in the long run, they hope a new institution will be formed to help Taiwanese offspring in Africa just as the foundation has done in Taiwan.
"Their fathers might not be able to take care of them for personal reasons, but I think we Taiwanese can do something to make up for this, some way or another," Chuang added.
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