The Charity and Volunteerism Program of Taiwan Catholic Mission Foundation

By Chinjen Austin Ou, Ph.D.

Abstract:

Taiwan Catholic Mission Foundation was founded in 1997. The main objective is to help emergency needy and the aboriginal people of Taiwan, which remains less than 2% of the population.

During the September 21,1999 earthquake which struck hardly on the central part of the island and more than 2500 people had perished, the Foundation along with other charity institutions was the very first group to be on the scene to offer help. Since then, some various reconstruction programs, especially long term children conciliation, have been carefully designed and carried out.

The Taiwan aboriginal tribes have been on the bottom of the social-economic line in the passed century. During the 2001 Taiwan economic crisis, their unemployed rate has reached 30%, well above the national 5%. The Taiwan Catholic Church is now depending this Foundation to develop more projects, especially hospital, medical equipments and Medicare to have effective programs reached into remote mountain areas.

There are some 300 volunteers of the Foundation, divided into 7 groups to serve various needy. Catholic hospitals and retarded kids centers in the east coast area where the tribes concentrate are the first priority. Please contact the Foundation for more information and detail of projects. Donations are very much welcome.

Taiwan Catholic Mission Foundation

E-mail: a5708112@ms21.hinet.net or draustinou@yahoo.com 

About the author:

Chinjen Austin Ou, a Louisiana State University graduate of Class 1979 in Bioengineering. The director general of Lab. Dr. Madaus Medicine in Argentina from 1983-1992. Congressman of Taiwan, R.O.C. from 1992-1996 and a diplomat to Sao Paulo, Brazil from 1996-1999. The project director of Universidad Evergreen in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1999-2001. Currently the CEO of Taiwan Catholic Mission Foundation and the project director of Lan Yang International Arts University. He speaks 5 languages and has studied the social impacts of Inca, Maya, Guarani and Taiwan Amei tribes. He comes from a traditional catholic family.