Welfare Home Breaks Ground

“Welfare Home” Breaks Ground After Years of Hard Work

“Welfare Home”（福利家園）is a key project for the second decade after the foundation of Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders (TFRD). Combining functions such as production, leisure, rehabilitation, psychological consultation, skill training, respite care, family activities and social education, this project is to provide a garden for rare disease patients' families to relax and recharge their batteries.

Located on the hillside of Guanxi Township, Hsinchu County, “Welfare Home”, almost 1.8 hectares, is a complex welfare service center for disabilities featuring leisure farms. Construction of the service center is expected to start in May and complete in April 2022. Different from most of Taiwan’s service centers for rare disorders which are set in apartment complex, “Welfare Home” is built in a broad and open natural environment, and both indoor and outdoor environments are designed with barrier-free features / adopt barrier-free design / provide barrier-free facilities.

In order to let the townspeople of Guanxi Township be more aware of the rare diseases and the services of “Welfare Home”, TFRD held two briefing sessions. After resolving doubts, townspeople accepted the service center and Mayor Liu De-Liang also donated NT$ 5000 on the spot. It is believed that the establishment/existence of “Welfare Home” will become a new highlight in Guanxi Township.

The groundbreaking ceremony was officially held on the morning of February 21st, which symbolized a new journey. TFRD, rare disease patients, government officials and non-governmental representatives / public representatives / city councilors attended to show their support. It is hoped that “Welfare Home” and neighborhoods will maintain good interaction and Taiwan will be seen by the world for its care for rare diseases.

Translator: William Luo (MPS), Reviewer: Linda Tsai