AmCham arrow Publications arrow Topics Archive arrow Topics Archive 2004 arrow Vol.34- No.12 arrow Contributing to Helping Others
Contributing to Helping Others PDF Print E-mail

Four international organizations have been raising individual and corporate awareness in Taiwan of the importance of aiding the less fortunate.
By LIN MEI-CHUN

 

Philanthropic activity, particularly by internationally based non-governmental organizations, has played an important role in Taiwan's recent social development. Some of those organizations were established decades ago by foreign religious groups, while others were founded during the rapid opening up of Taiwanese society that followed the termination of martial law in the late 1980s.

For most charitable organizations in Taiwan, independent donors rather than corporations have tended to be the major contributors. United Way Taiwan, for example, reports that 88% of this year's NT$200 million (US$6.25 million) worth of donations have come from individuals. "The concept of corporate social responsibility is not deeply ingrained in Taiwan's enterprises because most of them are small and medium-sized companies that have needed a lot of energy and resources just for survival," says Chen Wen-liang, deputy secretary general of United Way Taiwan. In the past, Taiwan's economic success was mainly built on OEM businesses - conducting contract manufacturing on behalf of well-known international brands. "Branding is something very new in Taiwan, and corporate image therefore hasn't been so important," states Cliff Chien, executive director of ORBIS Taiwan.

Multinationals have tended to be more involved in charitable activity, since the concept of helping the community through corporate philanthropy has long been part of Western culture, whereas for local companies the opportunity to obtain tax deductions seems to be the driving force. Until a more altruistic attitude can be nurtured among local enterprises, charitable organizations urge the government to provide more incentive for donors by increasing the level of tax breaks. Currently corporate donations are tax-deductible only up to an amount equal to 10% of net income, while the comparable figure for individuals is 20%. The charities are also seeking to develop closer relations with the business community, for example by inviting business leaders to serve as board members.

Competition for funds among philanthropic organizations also poses a problem. Claire Yang, public relations manager of World Vision Taiwan, notes that many charitable groups are competing for very limited resources. To overcome that challenge, she suggests that charities first build up their reputation and credibility, then identify the particular interests of different enterprises, and finally come up with attractive cooperative programs to propose to those enterprises.

Below are introductions to four international charitable organizations that have been operating successfully in Taiwan. Three of them (the exception is United Way Taiwan) received foreign financial support when they were first founded, but gradually became self-sufficient and are now equal partners with the mother organization and are able to offer a helping hand to other countries.

Taiwan Fund for Children and Family/Taiwan (CCF/Taiwan) Founded 54 years ago, CCF/Taiwan is the largest and oldest child and family welfare organization in Taiwan. It is best known for its child sponsorship program that has been running for 27 years and has provided assistance to more than 120,000 needy children in various parts of the world. Originally CCF/Taiwan was the Taiwan Field Office of the Christian Children's Fund, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, which was established in 1938 by a group of missionaries to provide foster care for children in war-ravaged China. The early work focused on orphanages, and the funding came mainly from foreign donors.

The Family Helper Projects that CCF/Taiwan organized around the island beginning in 1964 have since evolved into a network of 23 branch offices. In 1977, CCF/Taiwan launched "Help the Needy Children," the first campaign by a social welfare organization to seek sponsors for disadvantaged children in Taiwan. "Orphanages have a role as a shelter, but children get the best care at home," explains Paul Hsiao, head of CCF/Taiwan's social resources department. "Through this initiative, poverty-stricken families get financial support so that children can stay at home. It's been the major activity for CCF all over the world." The project aims to ensure that children in need get proper care and continue their schooling by providing sponsorships, scholarships, and emergency relief funds. Each child's situation is tracked through home visits and interviews.

In 1987 the organization extended the service by launching the Foreign Needy Children Sponsorship Program. At present, 34,000 children in Taiwan and 21,000 children residing in 27 developing countries are helped by CCF sponsors, who include President Chen Shui-bian and Vice President Annette Lu.

Other services offered by CCF/Taiwan include foster care, child protection, school social work, early intervention for children with delayed development, child daycare-provider training, protection for child prostitutes, and institutional placement for youth at risk. CCF/Taiwan became fully independent of the Christian Children's Fund in 1985. Last year it generated NT$2.33 billion (US$72.8 million) in revenue, about two-thirds from donations (mostly from individuals) and the rest from services, programs, grants, and other income.

The group filled a gap in the worldwide CCF network this September by extending its service to Mongolia, setting up a branch office in Ulan Bator. It plans to concentrate on helping single-parent families there.

World Vision Taiwan

Founded in 1950 to help children orphaned during the Korean War, World Vision is now one of the world's largest Christian humanitarian organizations, offering services to poor children and families in 99 countries. During the 1950s Taiwan was on the receiving end of World Vision aid to children and lepers. World Vision Taiwan started operations in 1964 with the establishment of Bethany Children's Home in Taipei, followed by the establishment of 10 centers in remote areas to help aboriginal children and then assistance to orphanages and hospitals.

As Taiwan's economic development brought increased affluence, the group began seeking sponsors domestically in the 1980s, and by the 1990s it was able to rely exclusively on domestic sources for fundraising and to begin to provide help to children in other countries. The organization also grew well beyond its child-assistance roots by adding community development programs in the areas of emergency relief, education, healthcare, economic development, and the promotion of justice.

As with CCF/Taiwan, one of the most successful initiatives has been the child-sponsorship program. By donating NT$700 per month, more than 60,000 people are currently subsidizing 80,000 children, including 55,000 residing in 26 countries overseas.

The annual "Famine Camp," organized by World Vision Taiwan to develop empathy for the victims of natural or man-made disasters, always attracts considerable public attention. The latest program was held this July when more than 7500 participants fasted for 30 hours. Since 1990, the program has raised NT$1.65 billion (US$51.6 million) to help disaster victims in 78 countries.

Out of the parent organization's 99 offices worldwide, World Vision Taiwan ranks fourth in fund-raising and is one of 16 offices able to help fund activities beyond its own borders. "We've contributed a lot to Taiwan's international image through our foreign aid programs," says Claire Yang. A recent example of this aid was the October 25 shipment of 10,000 tons of rice to Mongolia with the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Council of Agriculture.

To help call attention to the need, World Vision often invites show business personalities to tour areas suffering from poverty or the aftermath of disasters. As the first Famine Camp spokesperson, for example, actress Sylvia Chang in 1992 took part in making documentary films of the famine in Somalia and Ethiopia. Many viewers were deeply moved by the images of starving children. Stefanie Sun, a Taiwanese pop star who is also a World Vision Taiwan ambassador, is currently promoting a campaign to sign up sponsors for 10,000 needy children before January 6 through a special website (http://www.worldvision.org.tw/sp/). In early December, Sun went to India to visit four slums in Calcutta and to meet the child she has sponsored for years.

United Way Taiwan

Would-be donors often wonder how they can make sure that a charitable group is reliable and that the donation will be properly used. United Way Taiwan seeks to alleviate that concern by acting as a central collection point for donations and then distributing funds to reputable local projects and organizations that it can vouch for. Another benefit is that social-welfare groups can devote less energy to fund-raising and concentrate more on services.

"We're like the hub of the subway system, bringing donors to different groups in need," says Chen Wen-liang. "In the past, someone's generosity might only help one person or one group, but now, through United Way, that help can reach more people." Filling the role of a "professional manager of social resources," United Way Taiwan seeks to distribute those resources fairly and efficiently, to supervise the use of funds on behalf of donors, and to support a strong network of local charitable agencies.

It is an affiliate (and one of the 25 board members) of United Way International - a global network of nonprofit organizations created in 1975 and now operating in 45 countries.

The formation of what was then called United Fund Taiwan in 1989 was widely welcomed as helping to solve a growing problem. At that time, as a result of Taiwan's rising standard of living and social consciousness, more and more people were willing to make philanthropic contributions, but often they fell victims to scams. United Fund, re-named United Way Taiwan in 1997, gave people confidence that the money would really go to a good cause.

The rate of on-line giving in Taiwan, which accounted for 14% of the total of NT$173 million (US$5.4 million) in donations last year, ranks the highest among the 45 UWI members. All the funds are used domestically, going to 348 different projects. Usually funds are given to only half of the applicant organizations, and nearly 30% of the total goes to groups caring for those with mental and physical disabilities.

Chen says Taiwanese generally are very loving and giving people, and that the level of donation has increased every year by 3-5% regardless of economic conditions. But compared to World Vision Taiwan and CCF/Taiwan - where donors may see the direct impact of their contribution, such as an improvement in the lives of the children they sponsor - fund-raising tends to be more difficult for United Way.

The practice of payroll deductions for charitable donations, commonplace in the United States, is just beginning in Taiwan. Over the years the organization has tried to promote the concept of "Donate One Day's Salary," with government offices and schools as the major targets. "It isn't yet part of the culture in private corporations," says Chen. "A close connection between enterprises and charitable agencies is still lacking."

ORBIS Taiwan

ORBIS International, headquartered in New York, aims to preserve and restore sight by strengthening the capacity of local partners to prevent and treat blindness. Through its unique SightFlight D-10 "flying eye" hospital - an aircraft equipped with surgical and educational facilities - ORBIS has trained thousands of medical professionals and healthcare workers in some 80 countries.

With the US$119.7 million it has raised worldwide since 1982, ORBIS has helped more than 130,000 people to restore their sight and has enabled 17.5 million people suffering from eye ailments to receive proper care. It has trained more than 63,000 ophthalmologists, nurses, biomedical engineers, and other healthcare workers. They, in turn, have provided treatment and training to hundreds of thousands of people in their home countries.

Taiwan's economic achievements as well as its high professional standard in ophthalmology led ORBIS International to set up a branch in Taiwan in 2002. ORBIS Taiwan is the second regional promotional office in Asia, after Hong Kong, and is responsible for fundraising, enhancing public awareness regarding eye care, recruiting senior ophthalmologists, and supporting medical programs around the world. Along with ORBIS offices in Canada, France, Britain, and the United States, it sponsors long-term programs in such developing countries as Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam. The flying hospital has visited Taiwan three times since the start of local operations, and the aircraft itself serves as a "Friendship ambassador" to generate public attention.

Three Taiwanese eye doctors have become qualified ORBIS volunteer faculty (VF), contributing their medical expertise to other countries. This year ORBIS Taiwan has used the aircraft to carry out three medical missions overseas £Sto the Philippines in January this year, China's Yunnan Province in October, and Myanmar in early December. Besides helping other countries, ORBIS Taiwan also seeks to raise awareness domestically on the importance of preventing and fighting blindness. Research conducted by the organization last year found that the major cause of blindness in Taiwanese is ocular trauma, whereas cataracts, trachoma, and glaucoma are the main reasons for vision problems in developing countries.

The New York headquarters is providing US$300,000 to subsidize the Taiwan operation every year until 2006, after which the group needs to be financially independent. This year ORBIS Taiwan raised NT$18 million (US$562,000), meeting its goal. Most of the funds come from corporations and major donors. But since individual givers are the major source of charitable donation in Taiwan, Cliff Chien says the group is trying to increase public awareness of what is still a fairly new organization in Taiwan.
 
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