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Special Reports
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I
n t h e 1 9 y e a r s s i n c e i t s
implementation, the TaiwanICDF
Overseas Volunteers Program has
dispatched a total of 654 volunteers
to provide their services in 37
countries.
In 2015, a total of 35 long-term and
project-based volunteers (statistics by
dispatch date and service category)
were dispatched, and a total of
64 individuals offered overseas
assistance during the same period. In
addition to youths between 20 to 30
years old, recent volunteers include
individuals with extensive experience
in their respective professions or
retirees looking to get out of their
comfort zone to join the TaiwanICDF
as an overseas volunteer. The gap
year concept is no longer exclusive
to the younger generation; indeed,
many of our volunteers are people
with years of work experience who
have opted for a year off to pursue
their dreams and take a temporary
break from their career and family.
With their life experiences, these
volunteers are better able to handle
the challenges and setbacks
encountered when overseas with
a more mature and well-rounded
mindset, and help partner countries
resolve problems.
In their free time, the volunteers
would constantly try to establish links
with local resources and engage
in cultural exchange, inviting other
fellow volunteers to join in and
building rapport with the local people.
For example, TaiwanICDF volunteers
stationed in St. Lucia, Chen Dai-
ling and Zheng Zhu-jun, made use
of Taiwan’s experience to initiate a
St. Lucia Maternity Health Manual
Promotion Project while working with
nurses in the local community, and
designed a health manual exclusively
for expecting mothers in St. Lucia.
Zhu Wen-ling, stationed in Nicaragua,
took reference of the local culture to
plan a Taiwan Film Festival in an effort
to showcase the beauty of Taiwanese
culture and landscape.
Furthermore, in recent years,
the TaiwanICDF has combined
recruitment of internal and project-
based volunteers for international
humanitarian assistance programs.
This has provided Taiwanese people
with the opportunity of being at the
frontline of international humanitarian
assistance work. On-site observations
made by these volunteers have
helped the TaiwanICDF assess
project implementation outcome,
s u pp o r t p r o j e c t mo n i t o r i n g
and control, and foster talent in
international assistance in Taiwan.
Over the course of 2013, the
TaiwanICDF dispatched a total of
21 project-based volunteers. In
December 2014, we worked with
World Vision on the Addressing
Health and Hygiene needs of
those affected by the Solomon
Islands Flooding in Weathercoast,
Guadalcanal project, and dispatched
one public health volunteer to the
Weathercoast region of Guadalcanal
in 2015 to provide health training.
These efforts not only promoted the
global visibility of Taiwan as a project
participant and strengthened the
cooperative relationship between
the TaiwanICDF and World Vision;
they also enabled the volunteer to
learn about the operations of the
international humanitarian system,
build interactive relationships with
the people of the Solomon Islands,
thereby helping to promote cultural
exchange.
Overseas volunteers in 2015 were
more diverse than ever, and projects
more compliant with the principle of
ownership and fully integrated with
the local community, thus serving
as a positive display of the spirit of
volunteerism.
Weber V. B. Shih (front left), Secretary General of the TaiwanICDF, presents a flag to representatives of
the 2015 Long-term Overseas Volunteers Service and project volunteers.
Change 6
Overseas volunteers dispatched to a diverse selection of cultures