World Vision Taiwan is strengthening its ties with its international family by having 24 child beneficiaries visit in honor of Women and Children Day on Saturday.
To mark the day, World Vision Taiwan held an art exhibition and tea party at the Grand Formosa Regent hotel in Taipei on Saturday for its visitors and for children representing their local World Vision Taiwan centers.
PHOTO: CNA
Children in brightly colored traditional costumes wandered around, chattering in many languages, including youngsters from Bosnia, Columbia, Mongolia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
World Vision is a child-focused international Christian relief and development non-profit charity.
Pastor Chow Lien-hwa (
together."
Workers said that even though the children come from different parts of Taiwan and the world, they seemed to have no problems getting along. However, it was clear that cultural differences existed even among local children.
"Kids from Pingtung had problems communicating from the kids from Tainan, who prefer to speak in Taiwanese, which the Pingtung kids, who are mostly Paiwan and Lukai, can't understand," said Yu Hsiu-yun (
Paiwan and Lukai were two of the Aboriginal tribes represented at the event. A total of 12 Tai-wanese ethnicities were repre-sented, including Aboriginal tribes, Hakka and Hoklo.
Nervously, local children made speeches in their native languages, talking about the lifestyles of their people.
The event also featured drawings by the children about their homes and the influence World Vision International has had in their communities.
Gaby Kanud-A-Kalamb, a child sponsored by TV host Ho Li-fang (
"Before, many people in our community suffered from water-borne diseases because of unsafe water sources. But now, we have clean drinking water and better medical care because World Vision has helped us set up protected wells," explained Lucie Tshilombo Kalenga, another youngster from Lubumashi.
The gaiety of the event contrasted with the personal experiences of the children.
Aleksa Todorovic, a child from Bosnia whose father was killed in the war, was one such example.
"If my father could see me today, I hope he would be proud of me to see me represent Bosnia," he said.
When asked about their impressions of Taiwan, most of the visiting children said that they were impressed by the warmth of the Taiwanese people.
There was one complaint, however.
"There are way too many mosquitoes," Aleska said.
World Vision Taiwan works mainly in low income areas, providing educational, financial, and community-level support for children and their families.
To learn more about World Vision Taiwan or to become a child sponsor, see the group's Web page at www.worldvision.org.tw or call 02-2585-6300.
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