April 6, 2003
Reported by Li Hsin-ren.
Translated and rewritten by David Alexander

"Taiwan is my home!" Though she will leave Taiwan in July to take up college studies in the USA, Kaohsiung American School senior Kate Alexander deeply loves this nation. She is aware, however, that there are many young people here who do not have the educational opportunities that she has enjoyed. Moved by this knowledge, she contacted Taiwan's World Vision social service organization and offered to help in the "Love Taiwan, Let the Children Study" movement.

Kate is 18 this year. She was born in Kaohsiung, and has grown up there. She speaks fluent Mandarin and Taiwanese. Her parents, David and Charlene Alexander, are missionaries from the Reformed Church in America who work under the direction of Taiwan's Presbyterian Church. The faith inculcated in her at home and church has given her a concern for children who, because of poverty, cannot attend school. She said, "Children who don't get to study face limited future opportunities. Their poor circumstances are hard to change."

This year in March she participated in her third "30 Hour Famine," a program sponsored by World Vision. She organized her school and signed up 35 classmates to fast with her. When they were 10 hours into their famine, these young people went out in public, hitting the streets near several department stores to ask for donations and sell simple items to raise money. Many of them timidly used their own "not very fluent" Mandarin to ask people on the street to generously contribute to help children who had little opportunity for schooling.

Taiwan Church News