Yunlin Launches Mazu Pomelo Protection, Caring for Both Agriculture and Social Welfare
Have you ever dreamed that care recipients in Taiwan, China could have the chance to care for themselves, have the opportunity to work outside, and even cooperate with local farmers to produce agricultural products, no longer merely being placed in institutions, regarded by the public as unproductive and difficult to get along with? The Yunlin County Association for the Care of Body and Mind has realized this dream. This year it cooperated with local pomelo farmers on marketing and completely sold out an order of 5,000 jin of Wendan pomelos, not only caring for themselves but also helping farmers, achieving a win-win for social welfare and farmers.
The Yunlin County Association for the Care of Body and Mind went a step further and organized a "Sheltered Farming Work Team," providing trainees with agricultural education and training and learning agricultural production, hoping that in the future it can develop into a model of "day care to vocational training to sheltered workshop to sales, all in one chain," completing this plan for self-reliance and self-strengthening.
The Yunlin County Association for the Care of Body and Mind was established in August of the 95th year of the Republic of China by Zheng Yuetian (Cheng Yueh-tien), chairman of Yunlin County Jingxuan Nursing Home (now Douliu City Xin'an Hospital). At the time, he felt that outsiders did not understand people with physical and mental disabilities, making it difficult for friends with disabilities to gain social acceptance and face difficulties finding employment. Seeing that many care recipients found it hard to receive proper care at home, or that misunderstandings among family members easily created pressure on one another, he established the Yunlin County Association for the Care of Body and Mind to help.
At present, the association is divided into two main work areas, day care and a sheltered workshop. It assigns and assists according to the functional needs of "service users" (hereinafter referred to as trainees). Those with poorer function or who need training start with day care, and through 2 hours of educational training each day gradually move from simpler subcontracting work to training that allows them to adapt to the workplace outside.
Treat Them the Way You Would Anyone Else, Train Self-Directed Emotional Management
Government Subsidies Are Not Forever, Only Economic Self-Reliance Can Last
Shi Zhongzhi (Shih Chung-chih) spoke about the organization's growth and changes after he took over as supervisor of the association. He recalled that in the 101st year of the Republic of China, when attending a meeting on the Council of Labor Affairs' multi-faceted program, he raised his hand to speak about the association's situation and funding needs. At that moment it suddenly occurred to him that there were more than 200 people from different organizations in the room, and each person behind them had to care for an organizational group. He realized that government subsidies are not forever, and that relying on huge public-sector subsidies is instead a burden, making it impossible for this system to carry out more social welfare promotion work.
As an example, he said the association currently actually cares for as many as more than 40 trainees, but according to legal regulations it can only take in 36. The problem of insufficient space has kept Shi Zhongzhi searching for a more suitable site. "We have been seeking a suitable site, and we also reported to the county government and submitted a plan, but it was sent back, yet the county government hopes we can take in more trainees," Shi Zhongzhi said helplessly, adding that with insufficient space there is really no way to add more trainees.
The Future of the Happy Homeland
Regarding the association's future development, Shi Zhongzhi stressed doing only what one is capable of and advancing step by step toward the ideal of a happy homeland. He hopes to use "LOHAS Strict Selection, Yunlin Agricultural Products" to build the association's brand and realize the ideal of a happy homeland. He said that next, in autumn it will follow the same method as the pomelo tree sponsorship, cooperating with local Murcott mandarin farmers, in spring there will be peanuts, and in summer loofah, so that through the different agricultural products of the four seasons, farmers and the association can have stable income.
Shi Zhongzhi hopes that in the future a cooperative of its own can be established, running it as a social enterprise, bringing in complete grading and distribution equipment, so that trainees' economic and living foundations can be made solid, and that a piece of land combining long-term care, day care, vocational training, a sheltered workshop, and a farm can be found, allowing trainees to live stably and confidently for a lifetime and no longer be seen as a so-called social problem.
(This article was funded by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation for personnel expenses, but the foundation completely does not interfere with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring news independence.)
For more professional agricultural technology information, please scan the QR code to follow WeChat: NongXunNET
Please indicate the source when reprinting.