December 28, 2008
Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong
Written by Lydia Ma

According to information from the Executive Yuan, Taiwan's unemployment rate reached a new high recently. The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) issued a report on November 24th revealing unemployment rate in Taiwan for the month of October 2008 reached 4.37%, which also translates into 476 thousands of unemployed people across the country. This figure is 0.1% higher than the previous month and marks the highest rate of unemployment for the month of October in the past five years. Compared to October 2007 figures, there are 55,000 more people unemployed in October 2008. The DGBAS also reports that 20% of those who are unemployed are older adults.

In related news, Chinese Christian Relief Association (CCRA) reports that there were 552 appeals for emergency financial aid from January to August 2008. This figure reflects a 150% increase from last year's figure for the same period and marks the highest number of appeals in the past five years. CCRA also reports that more than 50% of those applying for aid are people between the ages of 41 and 65 and 40% are from ages 19 to 40. Furthermore, over 90% of people applying for aid between the ages of 19 to 65 cited unemployment as the reason for seeking help. Only 10% of applicants said they were seeking financial aid for other reasons.

CCRA Secretary-General James C.C. Hsia points out that behind each new case presented to the organization is an entire family facing dire circumstances. Though most families in Taiwan are small families, a single appeal would still imply that three or four people are struggling to survive financially. Hsia notes that a lot of applicants are unable to work because of disability or illness and their families need help from the government as well as social organizations. He urges government agencies to come up with adequate programs and compensation packages to help these families survive during this period of global financial crisis.

"Mrs. Chao" is a foreign bride from Nanjing, China whose Taiwanese husband suffered spinal injuries five years ago. When a failed surgery prevented him from ever working again, the whole family began depending on Mrs. Chao completely for financial support. She was able to make ends meet by working as a garbage collection worker and helping people wrap wanton dumplings. In order to help her, Mrs. Chao's children and husband collected recyclable goods with the help of neighbors and redeemed them for cash. These three jobs barely helped the family make ends meet every day. Unfortunately, Mrs. Chao's husband contracted a viral infection in August 2008. He was rushed to the hospital and died of blood poisoning and kidney failure after four days. During the time she took care of her husband at the hospital and arranged for his funeral, Mrs. Chao was unable to work and the family had no financial resources. In the end, she received financial aid from CCRA's "1919 Relief Center" and volunteers at the organization helped her get through hard times. "Thank goodness I got help from people," she said, "It made me realize love still existed in the world." Grateful for the help she received, Mrs. Chao and her children are now volunteers at the organization. She often goes out to comfort those in need and is becoming optimistic again.

James Hsia believes that there are many families with similar stories out there. Though faith-based relief centers such as "1919 Relief Center" can only give out $20,000 NTD (equivalent of $600 USD) at most and arrange for volunteers to reach out to applicants and their families, these efforts make a world of difference to those in need as they regain confidence and courage to continue on with life. From October 2003 to September 2008, "1919 Relief Center" has helped 2,800 families and set up 550 centers across Taiwan. It offers families who need help a sum of $5,000 NTD each month for up to four months.

However, the recent financial crisis has dramatically increased the number of families seeking help from organizations such as "1919 Relief Center." At the same time, donors have been less and less able to give financially as their pocketbooks are also being impacted by the crisis. For instance, Taipei Orphan Welfare Foundation cited that the number of donors from January to November 2008 was 20% less than 2007. The foundation even had to cancel its annual thanksgiving meal for the first time due to lack of funding. Normally, such occasions would allow orphaned children to get together with their extended families and encourage one another.

Taiwan Church News