wfn.org | Catholic Opportunity Center in Taiwan Marks 30 Years of Service to the

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Disabled
Taiwan Church News 2726, 24 through 30 May 2004
Reported by Hsiao Shiuh-ching  .Translated and Rewritten by David Alexander

Can you imagine it? To give care and education to the mentally retarded and
disabled children and youth of some 240 households scattered over a wide
area,
the busses from St Rafeal Opportunity Center in Tainan cover over 350
kilometers a day on their pick-up and drop-off rounds. This kind of service
has been the center's hallmark for thirty years.

Located in Tainan City, the center considers itself to be a family. It is
dedicated to the needs of mentally retarded and multiply disabled children
and
youth. The staff believe that, though these children have disabilities, they
yet have much potential. For that reason the clients receive not just "care"
but education in basic life knowledge and skills as well.

Father Hugo Peter Wu, a Swiss citizen, has served in Taiwan for 32 years. 
His
most recent 12 have been at St Rafeal. He came to the job gradually.  First
he
studied at a college of education, then served the Catholic churches in the
Peng-hu Archipelago for 14 years.  While there he also volunteered at the
local center for the retarded. Then Bishop Cheng Tsai-fa of the Tainan
Diocese, who was the Chairman of the Board of Directors of St Rafeal, invited
him to here. At first he was reluctant to leave Peng-hu, but it seemed to be
a
divine appointment so out of obedience and a spirit of love for all people,
he
eventually moved. It was a new and strange environment and work situation,
but
eventually he learned both to accept and respect disabled and mentally
retarded children.

In the twelve years he has been at St. Rafeal, Father Wu has been deeply
moved
by his co-workers. Currently there are 96 people on staff.  These include
teachers, rehabilitation therapists, social workers, administrators and
drivers.  More than half of them are university educated, but few are either
Roman Catholic or Protestant.  Father Wu says, "It doesn't matter. Even
though
we come from multi-religious and multi-ethnic backgrounds, but we are united
in our mission of service. There are not disputes, but mutual involvements."

Thinking into the future, he anticipates a need to strengthen early therapy
and holistic education. The center was Taiwan's first to offer early therapy,
being a leader in diagnosis and treatment. This has offered children the best
chances for development.

In addition to early treatment, he hopes to strengthen the education offered
to young people over 15 years of age so as to enhance their life and work
opportunities. Speaking plainly, he envisions a seven-week training course
that would enable mildly retarded young people to enter society as workers in
simple tasks.  But care must be taken, those who are "mid-level retarded"
need
one to two years of training before being able to do even basic jobs.

He expects that both the mildly and mid-level retarded clients will
eventually
be more or less employable, and form a work team sponsored by the center to
serve neighborhoods or even factories. This would enable them to enjoy the
fruits of labor and of success.

As the center celebrates its 30th year in Tainan's An-nan district it looks
for funding to repair and maintain facilities and equipment. A fundraising
activity includes the sale of stuffed bears and vanilla flavoring.  The bears
were made elsewhere, but the vanilla flavoring comes from herbs grown by St.
Rafeal's clients themselves.

A photo of the bears can be found at:
http://www.pctpress.com/pctpress/2726/726-1.gif

For More Information: St Rafeal Opportunity Center stra@ms33.hinet.net
		   TEL:+886 6 3911531 ext. 203
Taiwan Church News is published weekly in Taiwan's local languages.
Visit our web site: www.pctpress.com.tw