(research collaboration) The NTU Children and Family Research Center Sponsored by CTBC Charity Foundation and the Consortium of Institutes on Family Limited (NGO) held the 6th CIFA Regional Symposium in June 2021 (Conference theme: Family First: Supporting Asian Families in the Era of Inclusive Growth), inviting 28 speakers from 8 regions/countries to share policies, research and practical guidelines related to family issues in each region.
(student volunteering programmes) Data Entry System for Tungiasis Patients in Kenya
In 2021, Professor Chien-Mo (James) Li of NTU’s Department of Electrical Engineering offered a service-learning course where students got to volunteer for Step30 (NGO) International Ministries. They learned that when trying to treat tungiasis patients, Step30 in Kenya had to write down information of the patients with pen and paper and enter data after they returned to the office, which was a time and labor consuming process. Professor Li and several students discussed with Step30 about their particular needs and began developing a patient data entry system. After months of discussion and rounds of adjustment and revision, in the summer of 2021, the patient data entry system was established and put into use in areas in Kenya where Step30 served. The system substantially reduces the effort needed for entering data and photographs manually by the social workers, who now have more time to visit people in need for their help. Hopefully, the data will be helpful to public health and medical experts in developing better ways to prevent or treat tungiasis.
(development of educational resources) Students of NTU Leadership Program help Syrian refugee children with online learning
During the pandemic, several youths in Taiwan have put their expertise in digital technology to good use. NTU’s politics student Yoshin Wang and her friends established “Refugee Network Taiwan”, an NGO that provides online English classes for Syrian refugee children. The organization recruits and trains teachers from Taiwan and abroad. Together, they help and support children that are deprived of education by national or social unrest, and become a source of strength and a light of hope for the children. Besides online education, Refugee Network Taiwan also partners with University of Aleppo in Syria to offer online English classes for college students. Since the launch in June 2021, nearly 100 volunteers in Taiwan have applied for the teaching job, while around 70 Syrian college students have found a teacher through the program. Refugee Network Taiwan is committed to ensuring the rights to education for everyone, reversing the lives of those impacted by tragedies, and helping them realize their dreams.
