About Me

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Yilan, Taiwan
I just returned back to the States after 11 years in Taiwan with my daughter. Taiwan is an excellent base for us explore Asia, while living in relative (gun free) safety, while benefiting from a cheap and efficient national health care system. The people are amazing too. I have Taiwanese friendships that are 20 years old and I'm always making new ones! My coworker here in CO is from Taiwan.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Volunteering in Taiwan: A List of NGOs and Foundations

It used to be illegal for foreigners to volunteer, with the risk of being deported, unless they already had their visa through a foundation or organization. Taiwan has been good to so many expats (see previous post) that many have wanted to give something back. Personally, this amounted to the occasional beach clean up and when I was part time, feeding and changing diapers at a local orphanage.

The good news is, the law has relaxed. You don't need an APRC or open work permit to feed your humanitarian urge. Apparently it changed last year unbeknownst to me. If you are looking for a group to plug yourself into, here are some Taiwanese NGOs and foundations. Many of them do take volunteers. They certainly wouldn't reject your donations of you decided to spearhead a fund raising project on your own. The list is hardly complete, scroll down to the databases below:

Taiwan Non-Profits/ NGOs, Foundations A-Z 

Asia Pacific Public Affairs Forum
Asia-Pacific Society of Travel Medicine (ASTM)
Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC)
Asian-Pacific Meeting of Religious (AMOR)
Awakening Foundation 
Beautiful Life Television
Begonia Foundation
Bureau of International Exchange of Publications
Center for the Third Sector
Chi Mai Culture Foundation
Child In Action foundation
Child Welfare League Foundation, R.O.C.
Chinag Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange-CCK Foundation
Democracy Foundation
ECPAT (sexually exploited minors, women)
Eden Social Welfare Foundation (Disability Rights, Poverty, Elderly)
End Child Prostitution Association, Taiwan (ECPAT) Focus: International trafficking and prostitution of teen girls.
Harmony Home Association (shelter, treatment, hospice for HIV)
Garden of Hope Foundation Focus: Child prostitution and sexual abuse.
Girl Scouts of Taiwan
Good Shepherd Sisters of Taiwan (women in crisis, trafficking, single moms, aboriginal families)
Good Shepherd Welfare Services I-Lan Good shepherd Center (Yilan City)
Institute for National Development
Institute of International Relations, Taipei (IIR)
International Cultural Foundation 
Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace - R.O.C.
Kids Alive International (Taitung Christian Orphanage)
Li Tien-Lu Puppet Foundation
Make-A-Wish Taiwan 
MRWalker
Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation
Relief Disaster Foundation
Suan-Lien Elderly Center 
Sunshine Social Welfare (burn survivors)
Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF)
Taiwan Grassroots Women Worker's Centre Focus: Female workers' working rights and health problem. 
Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps
Taiwan Women Development Association
Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation 
Taiwan Zen Buddhist Association
The Big Bear Association
The Dharma Drum College of Humanitics and Social Sciences
The Field Relief Agency Of Taiwan
The Premature Baby Foundation of the Republic of China (Taiwan)
The Society of Wilderness (Environmental conservation and education)
Tien Cultural Foundation
Tien Educational Center Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation Service Center
Tzu-Hsin,CHI
Vietnamese Migrant Workers , Brides Office
Women Entrepreneurs Association of Taiwan
Women's Federation of World Peace
World Leadership Education Foundation
Youth Pure Love Alliance of R.O.C.
YWCA (AIDS education, women)
Zhi-Shan Foundation (International development/aid)

Here are some more useful links:
Taiwan NGOs
Taiwan Aid (a list of member groups) ++
Taiwan Women's Web
Environmental and Conservation Associations in Taiwan
TEIA (Taiwan Environmental Information Center)