《TAIPEI TIMES》Taiwan charity donates 74km of fabric to Guatemala

Staff writer, with CNA

A Taiwanese charity on Monday donated 888 rolls of fabric with a total length of 74km to Guatemala, in the hopes of helping those participating in the “Improving the Socioeconomic Conditions of Women Program” to start their own business.

請繼續往下閱讀...

On behalf of the Taiwanese charity — which asked not to be named — Ambassador to Guatemala Miguel Li-Jey Tsao （曹立傑） donated the fabric to Sara Lopez, who leads the Secretariat of Social Work of the President’s Wife （SOSEP）, a Guatemalan organization that implements social programs to benefit children and women, the Embassy of the Republic of China （Taiwan） in Guatemala said.

Tsao and Lopez cohosted the donation ceremony, the embassy said.

The fabric was donated with the help of the US-based SimplyHelp Foundation, Tsao said, adding that this was the first time the Taiwanese charity had donated fabric to Guatemala, but that it has a history of delivering material to Central American countries, and nations in eastern Europe and Africa.

Lopez thanked the Taiwanese government for working with non-governmental organizations to provide Guatemala with the material.

Guatemalan children, women and the elderly continue to benefit from Taiwan’s support, and its donations would help social programs run by SOSEP to be implemented more smoothly, she said.

Candida Mariela Mendez, a representative of participants in the program, thanked Taipei and the organization for the donation.

Every roll of fabric gives those who might have missed out on educational opportunities the chance to build their own business, Mendez said, adding that she and other program participants now have hope for the future.

The two nations celebrated 90 years of diplomatic ties this year, and Tsao said that Taipei would continue to reinforce governmental and nongovernmental collaboration with Guatemala, and work to enhance the welfare of Guatemalans and Taiwanese.

Guatemala is one of 13 countries to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, with Belize being the only other Central American nation to maintain ties with Taipei.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES