President Lai Ching-te presented awards to 22 children honored by the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) on Sunday, recognizing their extraordinary resilience in overcoming challenges related to poverty, disability, and unstable family environments.
Among this year’s recipients:
- 15 are from single-parent families
- Three were raised by grandparents
- Six have mothers who are new immigrants
- Three have physical or mental disabilities
TFCF Chair Liu Bang-fu highlighted the foundation’s 75-year commitment to child welfare, ensuring that every child receives basic rights such as financial assistance, educational subsidies, mentorship, and empowerment programs. President Lai applauded the children for their perseverance, encouraging them to believe in themselves and strive for personal growth.
Fourteen-year-old Chang Yan from New Taipei lost his father at an early age and was left in his grandmother’s care. Despite facing financial difficulties that made covering monthly baseball team fees a struggle, he continued to train diligently. His dedication paid off when his team won a championship last year. He also received a supportive video message from his favorite baseball player, Kuo Tien-hsin, urging him to keep working hard. Chang pledged to continue training and to look after his grandmother.
Another recipient, hearing-impaired swimmer Lin Wan-chen, was born prematurely at just 1,250 grams. Undeterred by medical challenges, she excelled in competitive swimming, winning second place in the women’s 50-meter backstroke and third place in the 50-meter freestyle at the National Deaf Swimming Championships. Lin credits her father’s support and her early experiences playing in the water for sparking her love of swimming. Her mother, who has been on dialysis for 15 years, learned sign language to communicate more easily with her daughter and expressed pride in Lin’s determination to reach Olympic levels.
In closing, President Lai thanked TFCF for its tireless work in social welfare, calling upon communities to continue supporting children so they can pursue and achieve their dreams.
