Taiwan to continue supporting Czech group that helps Ukrainian refugees

Taipei, Feb. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's government will continue supporting a humanitarian group in the Czech Republic that provides services to Ukrainian refugees, according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed Tuesday in Prague.

The MOU paves the way for a new round of cooperation between Taiwan and the Czech group -- People in Need -- in a joint effort to assist Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday.

Through the joint project, the Czech group will provide shelter for Ukrainian youths fleeing the ongoing war at home and offer counseling services to Ukrainian refugees in the Czech Republic, MOFA said.

With a budget of US$283,252, the project which is set to run until the end of 2025, is expected to help 4,825 displaced Ukrainians, MOFA told CNA, but it did not confirm whether Taiwan's government would be the source of the funding.

Taiwan previously donated US$1 million to People in Need in 2022 to support its programs aiding the education and integration of displaced Ukrainian children and youth in Czech schools, along with other assistance.

The US$1 million in funding was part of the US$32 million that MOFA raised from private citizens in Taiwan shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to MOFA, the MOU was signed between Taiwan's representative to the Czech Republic Ke Liang-ruey (柯良叡) and People in Need's Executive Director Šimon Pánek.

It was lauded by Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister François Wu (吳志中), who took part in the signing ceremony remotely from Taipei, as another "milestone" for Taiwan and the Czech Republic in their collaborations to help Ukraine, MOFA said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Pánek was cited in the release as expressing gratitude for Taiwan's prompt aid to Ukraine while noting that countless Ukrainian refugees had benefited from Taiwan's generosity.

In its release, MOFA also reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to support Ukraine as the war continues and to keep working with the Czech Republic to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, the Czech government commissioner for human rights, also took part in the signing ceremony in Prague, the release said.

According to MOFA, People in Need, founded in 1992, has grown to become the largest humanitarian organization in the Czech Republic and one of the most important NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe.