•Publication Date：05/14/2014
•Source： Taiwan Today
Taipei City-based nonprofit organization Junyi Academy is helping improve the lives of economically disadvantaged foreign brides in Taiwan by organizing hometown visits with their children.
Conducted under the auspices of the Grandma Bridge program, the academy has assisted five groups since the initiative’s launch in 2011.
Liao Yun-chang, co-organizer of the program, told the United Daily News May 12 that participants must stay abroad for at least three weeks. This requirement enables a child to truly discover their heritage. It also allows the accompanying teacher to become a foreigner during the trip and better understand the challenges of a parent living abroad, she added.
One successful case is that of a Vietnamese woman and her daughter, a fourth-grade student from Hsinchu City in northern Taiwan. The pair visited the girl’s grandparents and other relatives before touring Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, among other attractions.
Tsai Hui-ting, the girl’s teacher, said it was a very moving trip. The mother had not been home for three years because of financial difficulties, and was even forced to miss her grandmother’s funeral, she added.
Upon the girl’s return to Taiwan, Tsai said, she could not stop talking about Vietnam with her classmates.
Tsai said the trip made a significant impact upon her as well, adding that she has since urged her colleagues to adopt a more patient and understanding approach when dealing with student mothers who are foreign brides.
According to government statistics, there are about 480,000 new immigrants in Taiwan. More than 200,000 children of immigrant families are enrolled in local elementary and junior high schools.
