LATEST EARTHQUAKE NEWS

A 7 magnitude earthquake broke out at 8:02 am on April 20, 2013, in Sichuan Province, China. According to a news report on the same day by The Telegraph, it is feared that hundreds have been killed or injured in the earthquake.

On 25th March, 2013, Hong Kong PHAB (physically handicapped and able-bodied) Association calls on Eden Social Welfare Foundation for a tour of Eden’s accessible housing project in New Taipei City. Staff representatives of the hosting and visiting organization have both benefitted a lot from the face to face exchange of firsthand experience in accessible housing.

On 25th March, 2013, Eden Social Welfare Foundation cooperated with The League of Welfare Organizations for the Disabled in the international exchange program, Proud to Be Myself-Challenges and Response to the New Identification System, where professionals from various fields were invited from Japan, Canada (Quebec), and Taiwan to share their experience in the implementation of ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health), approved by World Health Organization.

In late March, the emblem of Eden Social Welfare Foundation is proudly observed in the mountains of rural Nepal, where Eden’s two staff members from Taiwan traveled thousands of miles and donated a total of 100 brand new wheelchairs to local villagers with disabilities. Staff members at Eden have been working incessantly on the project since 2012 after learning from our fellow ICBL (International Campaign to Ban Landmines) campaigner in Nepal the dire need for wheelchairs among the country's rural residents with disabilities.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the decease of Ms. Liu Xia, our beloved founder, Eden Social Welfare Foundation held a memorial concert at the Taipei Nanking East Road Christian Church on February 23, 2013. The Eden Rejoicing Chorus staged the debut of their latest album, “Heart of Rejoicing” (translation), where all the lyrics were inspired by the writings of Ms. Liu, who was also a renounced writer spreading lifetime enthusiasm for faith and altruism with her words throughout the world.

On February 8, 2013, the day before the traditional Lunar New Year, President Ma of Taiwan visited Eden Social Welfare Foundation Career Training Center for Persons with Disabilities and gave out red envelops to 54 service users for their year-round efforts and excellent performance in various areas including arts and crafts and pottery.

On the fourteenth anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty’s entry into force, Eden Social Welfare Foundation joined forces with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) to call on governments and the public to “Lend Your Leg” to the global effort to end the suffering caused by landmines.

For the past thirty years, Eden Social Welfare Foundation has been working diligently on the welfare of persons with disabilities at home and abroad. As a result, the Foundation was funded by Taiwan’s Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs, to attend the US Transportation Research Board 92nd Annual Meeting 2013, from January 13th-17th at Washington, D.C.

To help people with disabilities in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, obtain economic support and career opportunities, Eden Social Welfare Development Center opened its Eden Wool Felt Workshop in October 2012 at Jinjiang District of Chengdu. Three months to its inauguration in 2012, the career training program of Eden Wool Felt Workshop has succeeded in engaging participants with speech impairments, intellectual disabilities, and hearing disabilities in the production of handmade crafts while persons with visual impairments remain steadfastly a majority of its trainees.

On 10th Jan., 2013, Eden Social Welfare Foundation received a distinguished group of guests, including Ms. Remi Kanji, Ms. Wendy Pan, and Mr. Reza Mirza, from the Social Innovation Research Group (SIRG) at the University of Toronto. Members of the group have visited Taiwan multiple times to conduct an extensive research on Taiwan’s emerging field of social enterprise. Mr. Joa Song, Huang, CEO of Eden Social Welfare Foundation, assisted by Ms. Serena Chang, Section Chief of Eden Social Welfare Foundation International Development Division, had an in-depth discussion with the group regarding Eden’s experience in its diverse models of social enterprise developed throughout the years. After the interview, the Canadian researchers also joined Mr. Abraham Hsieh, Director of Eden Wan-Fang Center for Disabled Young People, for a guided tour of the Center.