Taiwan gov't-funded agency opens applications for overseas volunteers

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) TaiwanICDF, a government-funded foreign aid agency, announced Thursday that it is accepting applications for its annual volunteer program that provides humanitarian and other assistance to the nation's diplomatic allies and less-developed countries.

The agency, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), said in a press release that it will recruit 44 volunteers to work in areas such as information technology, public health, veterinary science, nutritional science, nursing, health education, mental health and epidemiological statistics.

Other areas include business, translation and interpretation, English education, mathematics education, culinary education, animal husbandry promotion and waste management, the agency said.

Taiwanese nationals aged 20 or above are eligible to apply. Those selected will be deployed to one of 11 countries in the Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, Africa, and Central and South America for six months to a year, it added.

TaiwanICDF is also accepting applications for a six-month volunteer program, which aims to recruit 10 volunteers. They will work with TaiwanICDF, its partner organizations, or in Eswatini, Taiwan's African ally, on a project to strengthen the prevention of metabolic chronic diseases.

They could also join projects in Kenya, Uganda and the Kyrgyz Republic. In those countries, they would work with Taiwanese NGO Step30 International Ministries and the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families, it added.

The deadline for all applications is Feb. 10.

According to TaiwanICDF, around 900 volunteers have been deployed to 48 countries since the Overseas Volunteers Program was launched in 1996.