FFTP and TaiwanICDF Forge New Paths to Address Poverty
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 30, 2024) – Food For The Poor (FFTP) and the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) pledged last week to continue working together in new ways to develop solutions to lift families out of poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The top leadership of the TaiwanICDF visited the charity’s Coconut Creek, Fla., headquarters on Tuesday for a roundtable discussion.
Ambassador Dr. Charles C. Li, Secretary General of the Taiwan ICDF and FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine talked about the importance of combining the expertise of the two organizations on a much bigger scale.
Ambassador Li said the two organizations have a like-minded approach to addressing poverty.
“We are very honored to have one of the most important partners like you over the past 20 years and the synergy that we’ve built,” Ambassador Li said. “I’m coming away from today’s meeting knowing there are many other ways to explore more possibilities for collaboration and to deepen our cooperation.”
Li was joined by Hsichieh Yang, Special Assistant to the Secretary-General, Minghong Yen, Director, Technical Cooperation Department, and Tingyu Chou, Assistant Specialist, Technical Cooperation Department.
Charles Chi-Yu Chou, Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami, and Rafael Chu Chin Liang, Director, also accompanied the group.
Raine said FFTP has shifted strategy in recent years from an organization that builds “things” to one that builds lives. Key to that evolution, he said, is the lessons learned from partners like TaiwanICDF.
“We’ve always known that we need to help people generate some income. We also knew we could get agricultural tools by the container load,” Raine said. “Now, we’re realizing that isn’t good enough.”
Recently, FFTP announced a new partnership with World Food Program USA in El Salvador, a country in which FFTP has worked since 1996.
“We’re looking at every country with a new lens,” Raine said. “We’re now paying attention to the statistics, the research that’s available, because we want to be informed. But we also want to avoid any duplication.”
The leaders followed the tradition of exchanging symbolic gifts during the visit.
Here’s a video of FFTP’s Ed Raine interviewing Ambassador Dr. Charles C. Li, Secretary General of the Taiwan ICDF in the charity’s broadcast studio.
The TaiwanICDF serves as the dedicated international development and cooperation organization of the Republic of China (Taiwan), focused on boosting socioeconomic development, enhancing human resources and promoting economic relations in a range of developing partner countries. The TaiwanICDF shares Taiwan’s development experience with partner countries, and assists developing nations in their efforts to become self-reliant, enabling them to emerge from poverty.
FFTP and the TaiwanICDF’s partnership goes back 20 years. During that time, FFTP has received $82 billion worth of rice from the Republic of China (Taiwan). This year, in addition to Haiti, rice will be shipped to Guatemala for the first time.
The partnership has extended beyond lifesaving rice donations to include developing aquaculture and animal husbandry projects in Honduras that help make impoverished families self-sufficient to supporting the P4H Global Quality Education Initiative in Haiti, a three-year pilot program to empower teachers and school leaders in developing classroom environments that support student success.
Tuesday’s reciprocal meeting followed Raine’s trip to Taipei in March to express the charity’s gratitude for its longstanding partnership with Taiwan.
“The red carpet was rolled out for Food For The Poor,” Raine said. “It was extraordinary how much support was given to us and how interested they are in working with us, especially when it comes to sustainable livelihoods and community development. It was an opportunity for me to say, ‘Thank you’ to the government of Taiwan.”
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 15 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.
Michael Turnbell
Communications
954-471-0928
[email protected]
