FEATURE / Beyond new clothes: Children in need get private LNY shopping session

By Sunny Lai, CNA staff reporter

Outside the flagship store of Taiwanese apparel brand NET in downtown Taipei, a queue -- made up of children and their parents -- had formed well before regular opening hours, despite the chilly late-January morning.

Most of the children, ranging in age from primary school to junior high, were buzzing with excitement as if counting down to something.

Careful picks for Lunar New Year

When the doors opened at 10 a.m., Snow Wu (a pseudonym) and his mother, along with his two younger siblings, headed straight to the top floor of the three-story store.

"We do not have many hoodies at home. Getting one gives me another way to mix and match," the 14-year-old told CNA after picking out a black hoodie that he planned to wear when visiting his grandmother during the upcoming holiday.

Wearing new clothes is a Lunar New Year tradition, but in Taiwan it can be a luxury that some low-income families, like Wu's, cannot easily afford.

This year, however, Wu's family will not have to skip new clothes to make room for other living expenses.

The eighth-grader was among 400 children from underprivileged families in Taipei who each received vouchers worth NT$2,000 (US$63.73) for a one-hour closed-store shopping session before Lunar New Year under NET's annual program.

Paying it forward

Ten-year-old Hope Lu (a pseudonym) picked a pair of purple trousers with her mother for an outfit she planned to wear while collecting Lunar New Year red envelopes.

With four siblings at home, Lu said clothes rarely belong to just one child for long.

"I wear my older sister's clothes, and I give my clothes to my younger sister," she said, adding that she does not mind the money-saving arrangement because "we're siblings."

This year, with vouchers provided by NET, Lu can not only wear brand-new clothes but also choose items she truly likes.

Lu's mother, surnamed Lin (林), said the vouchers "help a lot" by easing the family's financial burden.

Beyond the material support, she added, "we hope to tell our kids that when we are able in the future, we can help others too."

How did it start?

Lin's words echoed NET's own explanation of why it started the program.

In a written response to CNA, the company said the program was inspired by its chairman Andrew Huang's (黃文貞) childhood experiences of often wearing hand-me-downs from his older brother, including one Lunar New Year when he had almost no new clothes to wear.

Such experiences, the local brand said, gave Huang a "deep understanding of how much every child looks forward to new clothes" and inspired him to launch a program that allows children to choose items that suit them, while "respecting each child's preferences."

Since the program was launched in 2012, NET has donated vouchers benefiting more than 90,000 children and newborns, with total voucher donations valued at about NT$205 million.

Among them, some 17,000 children have taken part in its closed-store shopping sessions across Taiwan, held in partnership with the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF), an NGO that serves low-income households, according to NET.

Respect

Hsieh Hsiao-wen (謝曉雯), director of TFCF's Taipei branch office, said the arrangement helps families in need feel "truly respected," something that can be "quite rare in daily life."

The social worker recalled receiving second-hand appliances in poor condition, such as a refrigerator that still contained leftover food inside -- an example of what she described as a common donor mindset that underprivileged families should be grateful for anything, as something is better than nothing.

Meanwhile, NET's closed-store shopping sessions give children a sense that "this space is for us," Hsieh said.

"It is not just about giving them a piece of clothing to wear," she said. "In the process of choosing, they are respected."

Hsieh said the impact of new clothes can go beyond respect, especially for those who feel self-conscious about what they wear around peers.

She added that it boosts their confidence, making them feel more at ease around classmates.

"It looks like a small thing … but the positive impact can build up, step by step," Hsieh said.

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