Friendly soccer games kick off Africa Week celebrations

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) Students from African countries met their Taiwanese counterparts and government officials on the soccer pitch Saturday in a friendly tournament, kicking off a series of events to highlight the upcoming Africa Week and this year's FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

The Africa-Taiwan Economic Forum, consisting of African students and staff from African embassies and representative offices in Taiwan, routed Team MOFA (Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 5-1 in a 30-minute opening match at the National Taiwan University (NTU) outdoor stadium.

It marked the first time the ministry organized a sporting event as part of celebrations for the May 25 Africa Day and Africa Week, which runs from May 26-30, said Samuel Chen, director-general of the MOFA's Department of African Affairs.

Teams of students from Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Swaziland and Sao Tome and Principe -- Taiwan's four diplomatic allies in Africa -- and a mixed team of South African and Nigerian students met local university teams from NTU, Yang Ming University, Taipei Medical University and National Taipei University of Technology (NTUT) , in the one-day "Taiwan-Africa Youth Friendship Football Tournament." "Too often we sit in the office and forget to step outside, enjoy sunshine and share time with families and friends, " Njabuliso Gwebu, Ambassador of Swaziland, told participants at the opening ceremony, adding that the tournament is a great opportunity for expats to get together and enjoy the "football fever." Kelson Chimutu, a Ming Chuan University sophomore from Malawi, was an emergency call-up to Team Sao Tome and Principe as the team was short of players.

"Unfortunately soccer is not as popular in Taiwan as baseball and basketball. It's good to have the opportunity to play in a soccer tournament, " said Chimutu, who is studying international trade and plans to establish a business after graduation.

He said he will watch the upcoming World Cup tournament on television even if he has to stay up late for broadcasts due to the time difference between South Africa and Taiwan.

The Malawian, who spoke fluent Mandarin, said he enjoyed almost every aspect of his life in Taiwan -- "except for tofu." Steamed dumplings, known locally as "xiaolongbao, " and bubble milk tea are his favorites, he said.

Mamadi, Ebrima Nijie and Yankuba B., known at NTUT as "the Gambian Musketeers, " played for their school rather than their "national team" in the tournament. They are members of the school's Gambian Information Technology (IT) Elite Program, which now has 25 students.

The IT program and a 25-man civil engineering program are part of plans by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who has pledged to establish an "African Silicon Valley" in the country by 2020, said Samantha Wang of NTUT's International Cooperation Section.

A cocktail party celebrating Africa Day will be held May 25 at Huashan 1914 Creative Park, where President Ma Ying-jeou will unveil a weeklong exhibition showcasing Taiwan's humanitarian relief efforts in Africa in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. An Africa Fair will take place May 29-30 at the same location. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Taiwan hospital saves African boys suffering from severe burns

Taipei, May 7 (CNA) A local hospital's medical team has saved two African boys suffering from severe burns in an emergency medical relief mission coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the ministry and hospital said Friday.

The two unrelated 7-year-old boys, from Taiwan's western African diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe, arrived in Taiwan on April 11 for emergency treatment due to the lack of medical support in the country and its neighbors, said Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy C.T. Yang.

The boys' initial prognosis was not optimistic, said Tsui Kang, spokesman of Wan Fang Hospital. They had both suffered second-to-third degree burns, with one boy, named Fernando, having burns covering 40 percent of his body surface area (BSA) and the other, Aurelio, having a 9 percent BSA.

Fernando underwent two skin-grafting operations, including one that lasted 10 hours, while Aurelio had one operation. Both are now recovering well, Tsui said.

Fernando, who sustained burns when a pot of hot oil and water fell on him after he bumped into his mother in their kitchen, could barely stretch out his arm when he arrived in Taiwan, but his range of motion increased from just 20 degrees to 160 degrees after several skin grafts, Tsui said.

Aurelio sustained burns to the backs of his knees after spilling and igniting an oil container, leaving him unable to bend his knees, Tsui said. He can now stretch his legs straight and also jump on one foot, according to the spokesman.

"When the accident happened I told myself 'this is it' and my son's chances of recovering were slim. I'd never imagine that we would be here in Taiwan with the medical team and the first-class treatment, " Shela comis Lopes, Fernando's mother, told CNA through an interpreter.

The boys are scheduled to fly back to Sao Tome and Principe May 17 with their families.

A third child who was also suffering from severe wounds was scheduled to be brought to Taiwan for treatment as part of the group but died prior to the trip, said Yang, who initiated the mission after learning of the accidents from a friend.

The mission showed that Taiwan had extended its goodwill and friendship to its allies through concrete actions rather than lip service, said Sao Tome and Principe Ambassador to Taiwan Jorge Amado.

"Today's event is the most valuable testimony of 13 years of bilateral friendship between Sao Tome and Principe and Taiwan," Amado said.

The mission was only one part of Taiwan's continuous effort to take advantage of its medical expertise and provide medical relief to countries around the world, Yang said.

Taiwan has used different formats and services in various countries in practicing medical diplomacy, Yang added, noting that Taiwan has overseas-based medical teams as well as touring medical teams to provide medical care for special diseases.

It also helps other countries train medical staff, he said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

African, Taiwan students to play friendly soccer games

Taipei, May 6 (CNA) Students from six African countries will meet Taiwanese counterparts in friendly soccer games in Taipei on May 15 to highlight the May 25 "Africa Day" and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

The friendly meet is one of a series of events the ministry is organizing to celebrate "Africa Week, " which has added importance this year because it is the 50th anniversary of independence for many African countries, said Chen Shih-liang, director of MOFA's Department of African Affairs.

Scheduled for May 15 at National Taiwan University, the friendlies will open with a match between MOFA officials and a team consisting of officials from various African embassies and representative offices in Taiwan. Later teams of students from Burkina Faso, Gambia, Swaziland and Sao Tome and Principe -- Taiwan's four diplomatic allies in Africa -- and a mixed team of South African and Nigerian students will play local university teams, Chen said.

South Africa has offered a 90-day "event visa" for those holding tickets to the 2010 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11, so fans traveling there will be able to enjoy expedited customs clearance service, Chen said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Taiwan keen to help Africa adapt to climate change

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) Taiwan is pushing forward with efforts to combat climate change and is keen to help its African allies cope with the challenge, Taiwan's government officials and scholars said Wednesday at an international meeting.

Despite the fact that Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC) , it will abide by the non-binding results of the Copenhagen Accord, said Stephen Shu-hung Shen, minister of the Environmental Protection Administration, in the "Taiwan and Africa Environmental Leaders Meeting." Taiwan, which is estimated to account for one percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, is taking a series of actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, Shen told the meeting.

Taiwan's government has announced a Guidelines for Sustainable Energy Policy in 2008 and has been engaged in enactment of four energy-related laws, including: the GHG (Green House Gas) Reduction Law, the Act for Renewable Energy, the Act for Energy Tax, and the Energy Management Act, Shen said.

President Ma Ying-jeou has also vowed to make the year 2010 a year of "conserving energy and reducing carbon emissions, " Shen noted.

Ma has also pledged to cut Taiwan's emissions to 2005 levels by 2020 and reduce emissions by 50 percent before 2010, Shen said.

While Taiwan has a tough task ahead in cutting its own emissions, it is able to help African countries on the issue with its expertise, Shen and academics said at the one-day meeting that gathered environmental officials from Taiwan's allies in the African continent, including Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Sao Tome and Principe and Swaziland.

Shen said Taiwan would like to cooperate with its African allies in knowledge-sharing and promotion of the green energy industry.

Despite the differences between Taiwan and Africa, Taiwan can offer Africa help in education and health investments, as well as developing land-use management, river management and an early-warning system, said Young Chea-yuan, a professor at Chinese Culture University's Department of Natural Resources.

It can also help African nations improve their response capability through the nature conservation systems and develop social networks for protecting the poor from natural disasters, Young said.

Africa is the most fragile continent where agriculture production and food safety are at high risks from global warming, Robert Dixon, leader of the climate change and chemicals investment at Global Environment Facility (GEF) , told the meeting. Climate change will also aggravate water stress in the continent, he added.

Delegates from non-ally African nations, including South Africa, Kenya, Libya and Nigeria, also attended the meeting. (By Chris Wang) enditem/cs