Established by Christian relief organization World Vision, the landmark event, aimed at raising funds and awareness on world hunger issues among the public through
organizing a voluntary hunger strike, will celebrate its 20th anniversary in Taiwan this August. For this occasion, World Vision Taiwan recently invited Sylvia Chang Ai-chia, a famous Taiwanese actress and director, and a longtime ambassador for the charity, to visit Ethiopia and witness the improvement Taiwan’s help had brought to people’s livelihoods there. Truly amazed by such improvements, she urged local residents to continue to support the group’s efforts during an event held yesterday in Taipei. It was a collective effort, she said. In the face of the current economic slowdown, she encouraged more people to participate in the charity’s efforts to assist people facing economic difficulties and spread love to every corner of the world like a candle in the darkness. Compared to her previous visit in 1993, Chang said she felt comforted to discover that skin disease and malnutrition observed among many local children at that time had declined significantly as a result of a better diet. Taiwan-assisted papaya plantations, for example, produce fruits that are two to three times bigger than those normally found in the country, and therefore bring higher profits to the farmers, she said.
She said her recent visit made her rethink the relationship that human beings have with the earth and the definitions of poverty and wealth.