wfn.org | Morakot victims fundraise for Haiti earthquake victims

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

>      Taiwan Church News

>3024~3025 Edition

>February 8~21, 2010

Morakot victims fundraise for Haiti earthquake victims

>Reported by Chen Yi-hsuan

>Written by Lydia Ma

World Vision Taiwan has placed Haiti at the top of its list of  foreign aid recipients after a

strong earthquake devastated the country. In Taiwan, after seeing  reports of mass devastation

in Haiti, residents from Tefuye, an Aborigine reservation in  Alishan Township, organized a

fundraiser for Haiti to support quake victims and express their  own gratitude for all the help

they received after Typhoon Morakot when they were also helpless  victims.

The fundraiser was co-sponsored by Tefuye Presbyterian Church,  Dabang Presbyterian

Church, Tefuye Catholic Church, and Tefuye True Jesus Church, and  raised a total of

NT$9,020, which was later donated to World Vision during a  ceremony on February 4.

“It was through help and financial and material donations of  many people that we were able to

overcome hardships in the wake of Typhoon Morakot. When I saw the  devastation that

happened in Haiti reported on television, I thought that these  folks were in a worse shape than

we ever were after Typhoon Morakot, and I was compelled to do  something to help them,”

said Wang Fang-mei, who is a member of Tefuye True Jesus Church.

Soon afterward, Fang saw people fundraising for Haiti by the  roadside nd decided to do the

same in her community. She drew posters announcing a one-week  fundraising drive in her

>community.

Wang said she had seen announcements on her church bulletin urging  fellow Christians to

pray for Haiti victims and elders at her church had also led the  congregation in prayer. But

seeing the devastation in Haiti prompted her to wonder if anyone  would’ve prayed for her if

she were a victim in Haiti. Soon afterward, God’s word  reminded her that if she had the ability

to do something, she shouldn’t delay offering help.

God’s word compelled her to act and she began a fundraiser in  her own community. “I thought

at first that villagers would never donate money because they  barely had enough to live on. But

I was surprised by the outpour of generosity and compassion. Some  villagers were even

worried that their NT$100 donations wouldn’t be enough. You  have to know that NT$100 is

nearly 80% of a person’s wage for one whole workday,”  said Wang.

According to World Vision Taiwan’s central district director,  Wang Chang-ping, Haiti, the

poorest country in the western hemisphere, donated US$1,000 to  World Vision to support

rescue efforts in Taiwan soon after Typhoon Morakot. Now,  residents in Alishan, young and

old, are coming together to prove that love knows no national  boundaries and show the world

>what love looks like in real life.

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