Good Shepherd Services in Tainan, Taiwan

Comprehensive support programs
Background to the service
“St. Lucy Center of Adoption Services” was established by Mrs. Li-Fen Huang in 1982 to provide single mothers with assistance and support. During 1991, the Bishop of Tainan Catholic Diocese invited Good Shepherd Sisters to provide support for these philanthropic tasks. When Mrs. Huang passed away in 1992, Good Shepherd Sisters took over the management and administration of this organization. Since then, Tainan Good Shepherd Services have tried their best to provide quality services to help people in these challenging situations. It is hoped that new lives can always be welcomed and protected.
The services offered
1. Nin-shin Family
Nin-shin Family provides single young pregnant women with a safe and undisclosed shelter. As they await delivery of their babies, these young women are provided with not only board and lodging but also courses and programs integrated from diverse resources to stimulate their self-esteem, develop living skills, and enhance positive physical and psychological development. We provide single mothers and their family members as well as significant others with prenatal/postnatal hospital referral services, career planning services, family relationship counseling services, and child placement services. Moreover, we advocate concern and proper caring for them through providing education to the wider community: teenagers, teachers, community, and the public.
2. Babies Home
We provide babies up to 2 years old with 24 hours daily care and health services. We provide for the needs of babies given birth by single mothers who choose to relinquish custody to others, and other abandoned babies. The goals of service are:

  • To provide babies with a safe and comfortable living environment;
  • To locate suitable adoptive families for babies;
  • To assist biological families to recover from their loss; and
  • To offer legal adopting channels and accurate adopting values.

 

3. Adoption Services
Unfortunately, children may need to be adopted for various reasons. We, however, hope that children can grow up in a secure family where they receive enormous warmth and affection. Adoption is a good way to find a ‘forever’ home for these children. Through legal adoption services, we locate loving adoptive parents to offer a permanent home to the children.
We also assist those families who need to relinquish custody and want to have their children (up to age 12) adopted. Abandoned babies, orphans, or children from a family encountering unforeseen misfortune and not restorable as referred by the government sector are also included in our adoptive services. Considering adoptee’s best interest, we help the adoptive parents to understand adoption and all that they need to do to prepare.
Referrals and application criteria
An adoptive family who lives overseas must be referred to our institution through other collaborating institutions in advance. An adoptive family can start applying for adoption only when it is fully qualified through eligibility procedures.
For more information
For more information, please contact Tainan Babies Home of Good Shepherd Social Welfare Foundation at +886-6-2344009.

Taiwan GS Services for ‘Three Young’ (Young baby, Young mommy and Young daddy)

 

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Meeting a vital need….

The community and personal issues
On February 24, 2019, Taiwan News reported that a 21 year old woman had drowned her child on December 21, only 5 days after giving birth. This is such a terrible tragedy which is consistent with our experience. We do know that pregnant teenage unmarried girls face several challenges when they discover that they are pregnant and have the responsibility of looking after their babies. They are still ‘young’, ‘immature’, and are not able to take on the responsibility. They do not get any support from their male partners, the father of the baby, and often when we read of child abuse to the extent of death of the baby, it is the babies of these young people.
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Taiwan First Transition Apartment for New Adults

photo-1-300x199Good Shepherd Services have provided shelter for vulnerable youths. At age 18, they have to leave from the shelter and survive in the society independently. In reality, some of them have difficulty to adjust in the society due to poverty and very limited social network support. Therefore, Good Shepherd services have tried very hard to find transition apartments for these new adults. Finally, we opened the first Taiwan transition apartment for new adults from age 18 to 20 on Nov. 29, 2018. New adults pay 60-80% of rental fee of market price but the total paid rental fee will be refunded to them when they are ready to move out this transition apartment. Continue Reading →

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Unity to End Violence against Women

025From the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to Human Rights Day, we celebrate 16 days of activism against gender-based violence as an international campaign. This campaign challenges violence against women and girls. This year, UN Women honored and amplified the voices of survivors and grassroots activities. Under the UN theme “Orange the world, #hearmetoo.” UN women issued a call to listen to and believe survivors. This campaign prioritized ending the culture of silencing and putting survivors at the center of our responses. Continue Reading →

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The 1st Good Shepherd Mother’s Day

(善牧基金會執行長湯靜蓮修女表示,多年來服務非常多特殊境遇的媽媽,她們都擁有過人的生命力)
(GS CEO, Sr. Therese Thong presented that GS served many mothers from different miserable situations, and found their extraordinary tenacity.)

天主教善牧基金會於4月3日舉辦「第一屆善牧媽媽節」活動記者會,此次活動乃邀請民眾就「媽媽就是生命力」為主題,上傳分享媽媽的照片,善牧基金會除舉辦網路攝影展,並會進行評選,將來稿者部分於台北光點藝廊展出一周。
On April 3rd, Good Shepherd Social Welfare Services held a press conference— “The 1st Good Shepherd Mother’s Day”. The topic is about “Mom is my best friend!” and we invited the public to upload his/her mother’s representative photo to our website (http://www.facebook.com/goodshepherd.org.tw/?sk=app_492124014133119&app_data=104750#!/goodshepherd.org.tw/app_492124014133119). People could vote those they like, and the TOP 5 could obtain a small gift. After the voting, the public appraisal chose part of all the photos and displayed in the SPOT-Taipei Film House.

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President Ma recognized Good Shepherd services in helping New Immigrant Women and their families

On 19th of March, 2012, President Ma held tea party with fourteen new immigrant women; two of them are members of Good Shepherd’s New Taipei City West New Immigrant Family Service Center, Ms. Ping-Hua, Zeng and Ms. Qing-Chu, Chong. These fourteen new immigrant women were the characters of China Times series reports「New Taiwanese stories」in February. Continue Reading →

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