The highlight of May is always the “Mother’s Day”, which is a significant occasion. On the Labour Day public holiday (May 2), the “Morning Light Youths Voluntary Group” is unlike other youth groups. The group upholds the spirit of the Taiwan Christian Gospel Mission Founder, Pastor Jung Myeong Seok, and spends the day at the “Care Home for the Women and Young” in the Wen Shan region. With realistic actions, the volunteers have become the caring mothers of over 60 stateless children for a day, bringing them joy, laughter and warmth.
During the programme, interactive picture books featuring “You are special” are shared with the children through one-to-one interaction. They have added great warmth to the upcoming Mother’s Day.
On this special morning, the “Morning Light Campus Ministry Voluntary Group” has also garnered the support and help of many caring mothers. They prepared sumptuous and healthy meals for the children in the Home. This is with the hope that they can receive the optimum nutrition from the food for their growth.
The children that the Home has adopted, aged between 0 to 3 years old. They are considered “stateless babies” as either their parents do not have the Taiwanese nationality. Their parents do not have a legal marriage, thus the children are ineligible for a Taiwan citizenship. This has created a big hurdle for the babies as they are not eligible for government subsidies or any medical treatment.
The role of the Care Home for the Women and Young
The Care Home for the Women and Young has since then become the home of refugee for the stateless children and their vulnerable families. There are 1,070 children in China and 30-40 adults who are in need of help. In Taiwan, there are over 300 children, and among them, more than 70 children require milk feeding.
With an average monthly basic living expenses of 7 to 8 million Taiwan New Dollars (about USD221,000 to USD253,000), the income comes mainly from the public donations. However, more financial assistance and resources from the society would be needed. Secretary-General Yang Jie Yu commented, “The Care Home is currently providing assistance to the less fortunate people in the society. They are mainly the AIDS patients who are facing social discrimination and unemployment. Some are foreigners in Taiwan without any nationality status. They face desperation in their life when they encounter legal issues in Taiwan, illnesses or pregnancies. They have no relatives, friends or resources to turn to for help.”
“These are people who need our attention and their issues are something that even the Government is facing its limitations. It is our hope to rally more help from the community to work together with the Care Home, be it to contribute financially or volunteering of time and service.”
The Morning Light Campus Ministry Voluntary Group
As part of the Taiwan Christian Gospel Mission founded by Pastor Jung Myeong Seok, the “Morning Light Campus Ministry Voluntary Group” comprises many youths and students. Some as young as 6 years old or are in the elementary schools, and some are seniors above 60 years old. The group is always actively recruiting talents of different fields and areas, so that they can serve and contribute according to their professional expertise. This aligns to the mission and vision of the Group – to raise and develop the new generation of young people based on their characteristics and individuality.
Since the establishment of the Group, the team has been promoting a series of community programmes. There are tuition class for the high school students, beach cleaning, voluntary work at preschools, charity runs, voluntary work in homes etc. An upcoming charity run will be organised on Jun 25, to raise funds and awareness for the Care Home. It is hoped that more people from the community can come forth to render their help and support. (Written by Song Zhimin)
The english translation and image are released for public use.
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