wfn.org | Rural church offers IT classes, after-school tutoring to children from low-income families

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3015 Edition

>December 7~13 2009

Rural church offers IT classes, after-school tutoring to children  from low-income families

>Reported by Chen Wei-jian

>Written by Lydia Ma

In a town where there are no convenience stores or post offices  and a church with only 40 or so

members, an after-school program run by church staff sprung up and  soon attracted more than 30

students from low-income families. The program was so successful  that even Chunghwa Telecom

noticed and offered to team up with the church by building an IT  classroom for children and bring

digital technology to one of the most remote areas of Taiwan.

In 2006, Pastor Yang Li-yu began an after-school program at  Changhua Presbytery’s Lu-shang

Church. The number of students enrolled in the program has now  grown to 25 elementary school

children and 8 junior high school students under the leadership of  Rev. Chen Tse-Ying and runs every

Monday from noon until 8:00 p.m., with the church providing supper  for the students. The goal of the

program is to help children from single-parent families and  children raised by foreign brides or

>grandparents with their homework.

Rev. Chen said this after-school program has enabled the church to  interact more with local schools

and communities while providing opportunities for non-Christians  to get to know churches. The fact

that Chunghwa Telecom noticed too and decided to build an IT  classroom was an added bonus.

Chunghwa Telecom’s participation would help narrow the  technological divide between rural and

>urban areas of Taiwan.

According to Chunghwa Telecom, the church is located in one of the  most remote areas of Fang

Yuan Township on the outskirts of Changhua County. An IT classroom  would enable children to get in

touch with other communities and other children. Rev. Chen said  this partnership would only require

the church to provide a venue and manage it since all equipments  would be provided by Chunghwa

>Telecom.

However, the venue for the IT classroom, which is an old, unused  garage, now has several leaks and

must undergo some repairs that could cost up to NT$600,000. This  sum is approximately three-

quarter of the church’s annual general expenditure, but with  the help of Chunghwa Telecom, the

>church has already fundraised NT$200,000.

Rev, Chen hopes that a Christmas carnival to be held on December  26 will raise some more funds

toward building the much-anticipated IT room. So far, the church  is calling for donations that include

second-hand clothing, second-hand toys, used books, used  electronic appliances, and produce.

Churches interested in helping out can contact Lu-Shang Church at  04-898-2063.

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