Social welfare groups for mentally challenged people on Sunday urged the government to include sheltered workshops in the Triple Stimulus Voucher program, citing a 50 to 70 percent decrease of sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sales of popular products, such as Lunar New Year gift boxes, boxed meals for meetings, and wedding cake gift boxes, have dropped nearly 50 percent during the disease-prevention period, Children Are Us Foundation public affairs director Hu Yu-fang (胡玉芳) said.
Some baking workshops run by the foundation only sell products via online shopping platforms and have no physical stores, so the foundation hopes that the government can allow people to use the vouchers on its e-commerce platforms, she said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The government is on July 15 to start offering vouchers valued at NT$3,000 (US$100.77) to people who present receipts of purchases worth NT$1,000 as part of its efforts to revitalize the economy.
However, the vouchers cannot be used on e-commerce platforms, except on platforms that sell tourism products, as well as tickets for sports or art and culture events.
Amid a reduced workload, the foundation offers cross-departmental job training to its members during their free time, as it does not want to furlough them, Hu said, adding that, for example, children in charge of baking would be given training on packaging skills.
Syin-lu Social Welfare Foundation business development director Wen Te-feng (溫德風) said that revenue generated from sales of goods produced by foundation members have dropped from about NT$50 million to about NT$20 million in the first half of this year.
The foundation has not reduced the work hours of its members, who remain on a daily schedule of baking for half a day and spending the rest of their time on flexible courses, such as interpersonal relations, Wen said.
If the government includes online purchases of products made by disadvantaged groups in the voucher program, it would greatly benefit the foundation, which sells its products mainly online, he said.
Yu-Cheng Social Welfare Foundation promotion and advertisement division head Chen Yi-ju (陳怡如) said the foundation runs a restaurant in Taipei, where staff consists of people with intellectual disabilities, which has seen a 70 percent drop in business during the disease-prevention period.
The restaurant had to change its business model to sell boxed meals, otherwise its members, mostly children, would not be able to maintain a normal living, Chen said.
“Hopefully, authorities will fight for our rights,” Chen said, adding that social welfare groups hope that the government will listen to them in its plan to boost the economy.
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