BCCT Visit to SOS Children’s Village, September 21st, 2009

by Elaine Salt on 2009-10-16

A total of 25 Chamber members, their familes and friends visited the SOS Children's Village in Tao Yuan, on Sunday September 21st, 2009. This was the third in the series of "Auctioned Families '" visits; during last years Christmas Charity Auction, four familes tauctioned off  and their responsibilities were to visit the village on a seasonal basis and help with gardening and other odd jobs that are required to keep the village in constant good repair.
 
September's visit was extra special as the new communal kitchen, ,paid for and installed with funds raised at last year's BCCT Christmas Charity Auction, were inaguarated. Each house in the village has it's own small kitchen, but the children like to eat together in their communal hall. This meant that in the past, food had to be carried from each individual kitchen and this was problematic, especially when it rained. On previous visits to the village, Chamber members had suggested that a communal kitchen would solve these issues. The SOS Children's village did not have the funds to undertake this project themselves, so it was decided by the BCCT Board of Directors to raise the necessary funds for the project and this was done via the auction in December 2008.

The new kitchen is industrial standard and is fitted with cookers, fridges, freezers and stainless steel sinks and work tops, as well as having a rice cooker capable of cooking rice for 50 persons. The new non slip floor was also installed using a donation from UKEAS, a member company of the British Chamber. Maria Chen, Director of the village, told how life is so much easier and safer now with the new kitchens and all the children seemed thrilled with the new facility and it's gadgets.

The morning was spent helping with various gardening projects and everyone was very excited to taste lunch from the new kitchen. For those who had previously visited the village, there was common agreement that the food was 'even better' from the new kitchen and were once again amazed with the meal put on by Maria and the children.

After an amazing lunch, everyone was soon busy again, either playing football, basket ball or partaking in the Art Explosion, kindly run by Roma Mehta and Constance Chau and their families. Two canvases were produced and will be hung in the communal hall. There were also a number of individual master pieces which the children kept for their own private collections.
It was soon time to say a fond farewell until the next visit, which is scheduled for the last quater of 2009 and more updates on this will follow.

For those interested in helping at the village, please contact Aurora or Sophia at the BCCT, who will put you in contact with Maria and her wonderful staff and children.

Please see more photos here.