Taiwan Aids Haiti

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (August 26, 2008) — In the spirit of cooperation with Haiti, the government of Taiwan, through Food for the Poor, a non-governmental organization, committed itself for the last three years to provide to this NGO 800 tons of rice every month. Hundreds of thousands of people in precarious economic situations receive a hot meal six days a week, thanks to this food program.

For nearly three years, Taiwan has been aiding the people of Haiti with magnanimous donations of rice. Taiwan, working through the international relief agency Food For The Poor, has been sending 40 containers of rice every month to the island nation. This monthly donation of 800 tons of rice, which translates to 7,000,000 generous servings, feeds hundreds of thousands of school children and adults in the most destitute areas of the country.

“This rice is a donation of the Government of Taiwan and Food for the Poor pays for the transportation to bring it from Taiwan to Haiti, and the distribution costs in Haiti,” declared Hsu Mien-Shen, the Ambassador of Taiwan in Port-au-Prince. The rice is valued at over 96 million dollars. Ambassador Mien-Shen took the opportunity recently to visit the Food For The Poor feeding center in Port-au-Prince where he was able to witness firsthand the massive feeding program that daily provides meals for over 15,000 people. He expressed satisfaction that this program is supporting so many Haitian families, and he declared that his country will continue to aid Haiti in numerous ways.

The Executive Director of Food for the Poor in Haiti, Mme. Raymonde Pun, expressed sincere appreciation to the Embassy of Taiwan for the trust placed in her institution. She related the fact that Food For The Poor receives eggs and chicken as well from the Taiwanese, as part of the feeding program.

“A good part of the National School Feeding Program is served by this donation from Taiwan,” declared Raymonde Pun. “Of each 40 containers of rice that we receive, we give 10 to the Ministry of Education for the National School Feeding Program,” she declared. In addition to the schools directly involved in the feeding program, orphanages, health centers, homes for the handicapped, and homes for the elderly throughout the country benefit from the program as well. “Eight hundred families of Cite Soleil and two thousand families of the area surrounding the feeding center located on our premises are served a hot cooked meal every day. Food For The Poor has been aiding the most destitute people in Haiti since 1986,” the Director of Food For The Poor said.

Food For The Poor, the second-largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than simply feed the millions of hungry poor in 16 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. Since 1982, we have provided clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and emergency relief, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For additional information please visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoor.org.

Robenson Geffrard contributed to this story.

Contact:
Jennifer Leigh Oates
Public Relations Coordinator
(954) 427-2222 x 6054
[email protected]