Tu vows to increase volunteer programs

Tu said that the current volunteer program was launched by the government two years ago, based on the previous initiatives of various local universities. His daughter was also asked to comply with a foreign volunteer program while studying in the U.S., he recalled.

“It is not about witnessing [poverty] but learning about how to face difficulties,” said Tu, who added that volunteer work was an important step in the growing process of young adults.

In the future, a compulsory volunteer program could be set up by the MOE before university students’ graduation, he said.

“We must give back other countries that are not as developed as Taiwan, just the same way countries helped us 40 or 50 years ago,” said Tu.

“At first, my family was worried about my decision to volunteer for a two-week cooperation program in Indonesia,” said Sheila Liu, a student in the department of material science and engineering at National Tsinghua University.

Liu traveled to Asia’s largest Muslim country in the wake of the kidnapping of 21 volunteer religious workers from Korea, in Afghanistan. She said that calling her parents every day and being able to use the Internet helped her family to accept her decision.

During her stay in Indonesia, Liu taught computer skills in English to local students who were overwhelmed by the opportunity to learn new computer software. She said that her class was always full and some students could simply not get in. Students had to come early in the morning to register but it didn’t stop them, she said.

Liu also overcame the cultural shock between Indonesia and Taiwan with humor, even though water and electricity shortages were common. “I was shocked by the restrooms at my arrival,” she said while smiling. “Compared with Taiwan, you have to pour water in the toilet yourself,” she exclaimed.

But she survived after all. This year, Liu said that she is going to keep up with volunteer work and devote some time during her school year to teach aboriginal children in Taiwan. “They also need our help,” she said.

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