By The China Post, Taiwan/ Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network
【Taiwan Immigrants' Global News Network】According to The China Post, Taiwan’s winters can sometimes be extremely cold and wet, so Rerum Novarum Center (新事社會服務中心) began to launch fundraising activities every year since 2017 to collect clothes and coats to keep migrant fishermen warm.
The service center which mainly caters to helping migrant fishermen in Taiwan recently launched its yearly collecting activity, which is due to end at the end of November.
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The clothes will then be distributed on Dec. 17 so that they can provide the hardworking fishermen warmth during the bleakest time of the year.
Rerum Novarum Center begins yearly collection of winter clothes for migrant fishermen. (Photo / Provided by the Rerum Novarum Center)
When interviewed by 4-Way Voice and The China Post, Rerum Novarum Center member Jason Lee (李正新) explained that most migrant fishermen are from Southeast Asian countries, so they are more used to the hot than the cold.
Oftentimes when they travel to Taiwan for work, they are unable to bring along too much luggage; therefore, they are often without thicker clothing.
In addition, as fishermen often work in remote ports, there are fewer convenient ways to buy additional clothing. Inconvenient transportation, limited time, language barriers and other factors lead to migrant fishermen rarely having the opportunity to buy clothes for themselves, Lee said.
Taking into consideration of the lower temperatures out at sea combined with heavy wind, the fishermen are more likely to get sick without enough clothes to keep them warm.
Therefore, every year prior to the arrival of winter, Rerum Novarum Center collects warm clothes for them, including quilts, coats, thermal underwear, and more.
Rerum Novarum Center mainly caters to helping migrant fishermen in Taiwan. (Photo / Retrieved from the Pixabay)
According to data provided by the service center, 2017 saw 487 fishermen benefiting from the donations, while 2018 saw 851. In 2019, 1,051 migrant fishermen received clothes from donations and 2020 saw 2,148 benefiting from the event.
Migrant fishermen who receive the clothes expressed gratitude towards the kind-heartedness of Taiwanese people, as the actions seemingly indicate that they are not entirely alone in this foreign country.
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Lee added that all the clothes received by the center will be packaged as “gifts,” and all volunteers of the center have been trained regarding their etiquette and attitude when presenting these clothes.
He explained that volunteers are required to wish them “Happy New Year” or “Merry Christmas” when giving gifts so that migrant fishermen will feel they are not “given alms” but are respected.
Authorization of this article from【The China Post】By Vivian Hsiao
