World Vision Taiwan (WVT) yesterday launched its 16th "30 Hour Famine" campaign in a bid to raise funds for people suffering from hunger, AIDS, war and natural disasters.
"It's kind of a virtual reality. You just can't believe what you see and you can't even imagine it," said pop singer A-Mei (
"People there are really struggling to survive," she added.
PHOTO: TAI TA-SHIANG, TAIPEI TIMES
A-Mei, the "famine ambassador" of the WVT this year, just concluded a visit to southern Sudan with the charitable organization. She appeared at a press conference yesterday to launch the campaign.
The "30 Hour Famine" campaign has been held by the WVT every year in countries around the globe since 1990. Participants of the campaign fast for 30 hours to experience what it's like to go hungry, and also to raise money to help the world's needy.
Since its introduction, more than 750,000 people in Taiwan have joined the campaign and have helped millions of people in 78 countries around the world, according to the WVT.
Hank Du (
"It's truly God's blessing to have come back alive," he said.
"Some mothers had been feeding their children weeds or tree leaves for three months. The need there is so immense that we definitely have to intervene before the situation gets out of hand," Du added.
A-Mei said that while in Sudan, she saw desperate people drinking muddy water.
"There is a water shortage almost everywhere in Sudan, and people don't really have a choice," the pop singer said.
"I met an 11-year-old girl named Mary who is so clever and speaks English fluently. She told me that she can't go to school every day because it is too far away, and the school is so primitive. She wants to leave there and go to a place where she can study," she said.
This year the "famine camp" will starve themselves from Aug. 13 to Aug. 14 at National Chung Shan University in Kaohsiung, with the theme, "Saving Lives at the Front." They hope to attract 8,000 people to participate in the event and raise NT$170 million to help people suffering from famine, AIDS, war, and natural disasters, and also to support the reconstruction of Taiwanese communities that were devastated by Typhoon Aere last year.
To participate in the campaign or to donate money, visit www.30hf.org.tw or call 02-2585-6300.
People can also donate by putting spare change in the donation boxes located at 7-Eleven outlets.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation