REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN) DONATES RICE TO FEED THE CHILDREN
Thursday, April 26, 2012
By: Public Relations

Oklahoma City (April 26, 2011)

OKLAHOMA CITY (APRIL 26, 2011) – The Republic of China (Taiwan) and Feed The Children recently announced a memorandum of understanding to provide 1,150 metric tons of rice to aid refugees and school children in Kenya.

Feed The Children will distribute the relief rice to primary schools in Mombasa, refugee camps in eastern Kenya and impacted communities in Turkana. The first vessels are estimated to depart from the Port of Taichung starting in late May

Steve Whetstone, Feed The Children Senior Vice President of International Operations, said the gift would provide much-needed assistance at a critical time.

“More than a million Somalis remain in refugee camps in the eastern regions of Kenya, unwilling or unable to return home. This gift will provide more than 3 million meals to children and families there”, said Whetstone. “And it will also keep our slum school feeding program in Mombasa open despite major reductions in funding from other sources due to continuing global economic uncertainty.”

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Taiwan, 27,000 elementary school children will be provided a hot meal everyday in Mombasa.

The additional rice will be incorporated into Feed The Children’s long range program of child-focused community development in Namekuse.

U.S. Senator James Inhofe(R-OK), in a letter to ROC (Taiwan) Ambassador Jason C. Yuan praised the gift to Feed The Children.

“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Taiwan for donating rice to Kenya through Feed The Children, a well known and respected charity based in my home state of Oklahoma.”, said Inhofe.  “This generous gift signifies Taiwan's committed to helping end Africa's challenging food crises”

This gift is the most recent in a long standing relationship between Feed The Children and Taiwan. In 2007, Taiwan donated 5,000 metric tons of rice to Kenya and 5,000 metric tons of rice to Malawi through Feed The Children to help with famine relief. In 2011, Taiwan donated 100 metric tons of rice to restart the school feeding program in Mombasa..

Feed The Children
Since 1979, Feed The Children has consistently ranked as one of the largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Our mission is providing hope and resources for those without life’s essentials. In FY 2011, Feed The Children distributed more than 104 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all 50 states and internationally. For more information, visit www.feedthechildren.org