- GO
Fri, Sep 29, 2023 page3
- Taiwan to help children’s rights group in Kenya
- By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter
-
Taiwan is to work with Swiss children’s rights group Terre des Hommes to help Kenya fight its worst drought in 40 years, the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) said yesterday.
The fund is to launch the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program in vulnerable communities in Garissa, Kenya, with the Swiss organization on Sunday, ICDF secretary-general Li Chao-cheng (李朝成) said at a press briefing.
Having faced five consecutive rainy seasons with below-average rainfall, east Africa has since 2020 been facing its worst drought in more than 40 years, Li said.
Farmers prepare to transport bags of rice following a poor harvest due to the worsening drought in Mwea, Kenya, on Nov. 30 last year. Photo: Reuters
In Kenya, the drought is affecting a vast area, with about 6.4 million people in need of humanitarian assistance — the most in the past 10 years, he said.
The drought has caused food shortages and sharp reductions in people’s incomes, as well as had a devastating impact on the safety and sanitation of local water sources, he said.
The program aims to help local health institutions improve water supply, sanitation, waste management and environmental cleaning to meet the international standards set by the WHO and UNICEF, he said.
The program is to assist with the construction, repair or improvement of WASH-related facilities at 10 local health institutions, and establish facility operation and maintenance practices, he said.
The institutions are to be provided with maintenance tools and equipment, and their staff members are to receive WASH training, he added.
It is hoped that the institutions can improve their WASH facilities and properly implement infection prevention and control to reduce the risk of vulnerable patients becoming infected or developing more severe illness, he said.
It is the first development-oriented humanitarian aid program created by the fund to tackle long-term humanitarian crises such as climate change, aiming to reduce vulnerability by tackling long-existing structural problems, he added.
In other developments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to work with the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association to send economic and business missions to the Middle East, South America and Africa to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, as well as supply chain partnerships, Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs Director-General Vivian Lien (連玉蘋) said yesterday.
The missions are to travel to Paraguay, Argentina, Egypt, Jordan and Somaliland in the next two months to seek business opportunities and promote investment through trade shows and one-on-one trade negotiations, she said.
Key industries of focus during the trips would include smart healthcare, logistics, food and agricultural products, textile processing, and jewelry and accessories, she said.
Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.
- Most Popular
- You might also like
-
Chinese boat seized after colliding with coast guard 2023-09-29
The coast guard on Friday took a Chinese fishing boat and the 17 people on board into custody, after it rammed into a patrol boat while attempting to flee. A 100-tonne coast guard vessel at about 8am discovered a Chinese fishing boat illegally operating in waters about 11 nautical miles (20.4km) northwest of Hsinchu, the Hsinchu offshore flotilla of the Coast Guard Administration said. The crew refused to allow law enforcement to board the ship and attempted to flee, it added. The coast guard vessel and another ship chased the fishing boat for about a half hour, during which time the Chinese boat
-
VP Lai warns of Chinese attempts to ‘annex’ Taiwan 2023-09-28
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that Beijing was trying to “annex” Taiwan, while China said its recent series of drills near Taiwan are aimed at combating the “arrogance” of separatist forces. The Ministry of National Defense earlier this month said that it had observed dozens of Chinese fighters, drones, bombers and other aircraft, as well as warships and the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong, operating nearby. The increased frequency of China’s military activities has raised the risk of events “getting out of hand” and sparking an accidental clash, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said last week. Asked about the spurt
By Bernard Orr and Roger Tung
-
Japan’s plans have Taiwan focus 2023-10-01
RUNWAY UPGRADES: Airports and ports mainly scattered around southwestern Japan are being given major overhauls, primarily serving as civilian-use facilities Japan has chosen 33 airports and ports as candidates for improvement to enhance military capabilities, with a particular focus on infrastructure that could be utilized in a Taiwan emergency, according to a recent report in Japan’s Nikkei Shimbun. Citing the Japanese government’s fiscal budget proposal for next year, the newspaper said Toyko is to name some facilities as essential bases and receive funding for upgrades in line with the revamped national security strategy published last year. According to an unofficial policy document drafted last month and reviewed by the Nikkei, the Japanese government designated 14 airports and 19 ports for improvement, including
By Lin Tsuei-yi and Jonathan Chin
-
Ma rejects National Day invite over ‘Taiwan’ 2023-10-02
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Monday said he would not attend the official Double Ten National Day celebrations for the first time this year, as its English name, “Taiwan National Day,” implies “Taiwan independence.” Writing on Facebook, Ma said he has attended every National Day celebration since entering public service 40 years ago, but “with an exceedingly heavy heart,” has decided to reject this year’s invitation. For the past three years, the government under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has used “Taiwan National Day” for the event’s official English-language title, leaving the “Republic of China” nowhere to be found, he said. The move
-
Copyright © 1999-2023 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.
