Taipei, June 2 (CNA) More than 80 volunteers will start paying home visits in July to new immigrant families in Taipei City and Taipei County in a program that seeks to help new arrivals adjust to Taiwan's environment and culture, organizers said Saturday.
The volunteers, who are mostly retired workers, will try to collect information and learn about the problems that foreign spouses face and tell stories to children in their upcoming home visits under the program organized by the Eden Social Welfare Foundation, said Huang Juo-sung, executive director of the foundation.
Four foreign spouses -- three from Vietnam and one from Indonesia -- and two men who are married to Vietnamese women are among the most notable volunteers in the program.
Huynh Trang Phuong Thuy, who came to Taiwan five years ago when she was just 20, said she decided to join the program because she understands how difficult it is adjusting to a new environment. As happy and comfortable as she is now, Huynh said she felt the urge to reach out a helping hand to her "Vietnamese sisters."
Lin Jian-chung, who is married to a Vietnamese women, also joined the program, determined to help thousands of new immigrant families like his own.
Meanwhile, Yen Wei-te, a graduate student at National Taiwan University, said he joined the program "to involve myself more in social activities, rather than just focusing on studying."
Volunteers like Huynh Trang, Lin and Yen will be assigned to different regions, such as Sanchong and Sindian, and provide counseling, story-telling and Chinese-language learning book distributing services. Having received just three days of training and being fully aware of the possibility of being turned away at the door on their visits to the homes of new immigrants, the volunteers said they are still upbeat about the task they will embark upon Saturday.
"This is only the beginning of a massive and important project that tries to respond to a national issue, " said Huang.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) statistics, an estimated average of 12,000 Vietnamese women arrive in Taiwan every year in mixed marriages, Huang said, adding that currently, one out of every four babies born in Taiwan is born into a new immigrant family.
"The new immigrant issue has been ranked in the top three of the ten most important social issues of the future by analysts and observers, which means the government and civil groups have to look at and deal with the issue seriously as soon as possible, " he noted.
The program is mainly being sponsored by Cathay Life Charity Foundation.