Taiwanese youths shine as goodwill ambassadors in Swaziland

      Taiwan Church News

      3049 Edition

      August 2~8, 2010

       

       

      Taiwanese youths shine as goodwill ambassadors in Swaziland

       

      Reported by Chen Wei-chien

      Written by Lydia Ma

      Photo provided by Catholic Taichung Diocese

       

       



      A group of Taiwanese students travelled to Swaziland recently to become 
volunteers and in so 

      doing became Taiwan’s pride and ambassadors in that land. These youths 
were invited to the 

      royal palace in Swaziland where they met King Mswati III who expressed 
appreciation for 

      Taiwan’s humanitarian efforts.

       



      Since 2009, Providence University, a Catholic university in Taiwan, and a 
few other high 

      schools and elementary schools have been campaigning to collect 10,000 
recyclable bottles. 

      These bottles are eventually converted into fibers which are then used to 
make blankets to be 

      shipped overseas to help those in need. 

       



      Taiwanese students were among 400 volunteers from different parts of the 
world who had 

      travelled to Swaziland from July 16-26, 2010, to help more than 10,000 
poor children 

      scattered in 30 remote villages. Together, they helped local residents 
build farms, till farmland, 

      set up fences, plant seeds, and water plants.

       



      One student reported the Taiwanese team had worked with local churches in 
reaching out to 

      residents living in remote villages to help them become self-sufficient. 
He noted that volunteers 

      worked toward “teaching people how to fish instead of merely handing out 
fish to them.”

       



      One high school student shared that she was very happy to travel to a 
foreign land and 

      become a volunteer along with people from other countries. Her team’s 
only goal was help 

      children in Africa and spread their love. 

       



      School officials reiterated the purpose of volunteer programs such as 
this one is to raise 

      awareness among youths concerning humanitarian work and multiculturalism, 
and encourage 

      youths to speak up for marginalized people. These programs also expand 
Taiwanese youths’ 

      horizons through hands-on experience, volunteering, and living with peers 
in a foreign land.

                                   



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