Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Geneva head Chen Loong-jin (left) shakes hands with CARE International Secretary-General Wolfgang Jamann in April in Geneva. (MOFA Staff photo)
 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced July 7 its donation of US$100,000 to CARE International, a global nongovernmental humanitarian aid organization, to assist the NGO’s efforts in helping civilians affected by conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Iraq.

According to the ministry, the donation went toward CARE’s Emergency Response Fund, which delivers humanitarian and financial resources within 24 hours after a disaster or new peak in an ongoing crisis.

The primary goals of the organization in the DRC are to help meet the needs of the country’s most vulnerable people, prevent sexual violence and support health care facilities in areas of massive population displacement. In Iraq, the funds will provide safe drinking water as well as sanitation and hygiene kits in and around the city of Mosul.

This donation reflects the Taiwan people’s commitment to helping safeguard human rights around the world, the MOFA said. The ministry added that the nation attaches great importance to providing medical assistance and health care as well as contributing to international humanitarian efforts to end sexual violence.

Taiwan has a strong relationship with CARE, the ministry said, having collaborated to provide post-disaster relief to those affected by the massive earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015. In addition, CARE Secretary-General Wolfgang Jamann visited Taiwan last year to attend an international forum organized by the Taiwan Alliance in International Development, a humanitarian aid NGO based in Taipei City.

Founded in 1945 as the Cooperative for American Remittance to Europe, the Switzerland-headquartered CARE International is one of the largest humanitarian aid agencies in the world. In 1993, the organization was renamed Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere.

According to CARE’s 2015 annual report, its humanitarian efforts support 890 projects in 95 countries and impact more than 65 million people. (KWS-E)