Taipei (AsiaNews) - With the help of the Taiwan government, Caritas Taiwan is sending 500 sets of second-hand school desks and 30 second-hand dining-room table sets to a Catholic school in rural Mongolia. The expedition, which leaves shortly, is supported by the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs who has approved the budget for two 40-foot storage containers to ship the donations by rail.
Founded in 1969, Caritas Taiwan has worked mostly in health care for the poor. Since 1976, it has been a member of the International Catholic Commission for Migrants, providing staff and equipment to programmes for migrants caught up in war and national disasters. Over time, it has expanded its activities to include developing nations in Asia.
Despite its recent (and rapid) economic growth, Mongolia is still characterised by deep income inequalities. Outside the capital Ulaanbaatar, the more distant regions are still marked by great poverty
According to the latest estimates, Christians represent slightly more than 2 per cent of the population in a country that is overwhelmingly Buddhist, with local shamanistic beliefs.
Only 415 Catholics live in Mongolia but they have been able to set up facilities for orphans, the destitute and the elderly; as well as medical clinics in a country with a poor healthcare infrastructure, not to mention several technical schools and institutes.