The shelter workshops of the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind are always the busiest during holidays. Unfortunately, the number of orders this year was lower than before due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affected the livelihood of the shelter personnel. ETMall fulfilled its corporate social responsibility and helped the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind to raise funds and provided the sales platform at no charge. Starting on September 28th, three limited edition soap sets and a secret edition tea leaf and dried fruit gift box will be released monthly. This is the first time that a public welfare organization in Taiwan has partnered with a TV shopping platform, with all proceeds going back to the Foundation after deducting shipping and logistics costs. In order to lead by example and inspire industry peers, ETMall and the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind joined hands to organize the “Happiness, Peace-of-Mind, Togetherness” press conference at the Foundation’s workshop in Tucheng this afternoon. Important guests at the event included Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-Ih, President Gary Wang of Eastern Group, and Chairman Ben Hsieh of the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind. They put on “visual impairment simulation glasses” to experience the packaging work of the shelter workshop staff and listened to the wishes of the shelter workshop youths who were looking for jobs. It is hoped that more awareness can be raised and the public are invited to purchase shelter workshop products to show their most direct support for young people with physical and mental disabilities.
Ben Hsieh, chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind, specially thanked President Gary Wang of ETMall for launching products from sheltered workshops on the TV shopping program. This is the first time in Taiwan that a public welfare organization and TV shopping platform has collaborated together. Setting this precedent was not easy, and he expressed his gratitude for opening the door to care for those with disabilities. He also mentioned that the introduction of shelter workshop products on TV shopping is particularly significant as it means that shelter workshop products would no longer be just an appeal for public welfare, but can also be marketed formally and stand the test of the consumer market.
In his speech, President Gary Wang of Eastern Group, said that the donations and charity sales for many social welfare organizations have been impacted by the pandemic, and it is particularly important now to show love and care to help the underprivileged in society endure this difficult time. The New Taipei City-based ETMall is happy to respond to Mayor Hou’s call for public welfare, and President Wang promised to do his best to spread the word to his members and promote the spirit of “giving back to society in return for the things that we take from society”, and that “this is not the first time, and it will definitely last for a long time!” ETMall has helped mayors from 10 counties and cities around Taiwan to sell agricultural products and help small farmers, sponsor scholarships and provide care to the elderly. Three limited edition soap sets and a secret edition tea leaf and dried fruit gift box will be launched for the Mid-Autumn Festival, with all proceeds going to the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind after shipping and logistics costs are deducted.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-Ih also expressed his gratitude to President Gary Wang for “placing public welfare first” under his leadership. He has selflessly offered the “zero-contact economy” platform, now in great demand due to the pandemic, to continuously help small farmers in rural areas to sell their products for free. Mayor Hou also added that it was his second time visiting the Tucheng workshop of the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind, and he was very moved to see the hardworking staff. New Taipei City Government will always stand with its disadvantaged groups and he expects that sales will increase by at least 20% with the help of ETMall. He also expressed his hope that more shelter workshops can have the opportunity to work with shopping platforms.
The total number of visually impaired individuals with a Disability Card is almost 60,000, but only 30% of them are employed, while the number of visually impaired persons who do not have a Disability Card is estimated to be over one million. Over the past decade, the visually impaired population has grown by nearly 30%. When a visually impaired person is unable to find a job, it not only means that he or she is unable to live independently, but it also adds tremendous pressure on the family to take care of the visually impaired person. Because of the high degree of difficulty faced by the visually impaired persons when finding a job, the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind began to set up shelter workshops in 2007 to help those who are willing but unable to find employment. The shelter workshops provide simple and highly repetitive jobs such as “packaging” and “handcrafted soap-making” to help the visually impaired persons enter the job market and regain their self-confidence and dignity.
The soaps of the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind are made with edible natural oils and pure essential oils, and undergo a 16-step cold process with a natural maturation period of 56 days. These exquisitely handcrafted natural soaps are mild and gentle on the skin, and each soap gift box is full of blessings and good wishes. We hope that everyone who buys the gift box will carry the blessings and positive energy of the shelter workshop students. The Taiwan Foundation for the Blind and ETMall will be offering four specially selected gift sets. The “Peace and Good Wishes” gift box launched on September 28th at 13:20 on ETMall Channel CH47. The gift box contains: Handcrafted Paochong Tea Soap (120g) + Rose Geranium Soap (120g) + Grapefruit Soap (120g) + Cherishing Soap Bag (25g), at the ETMall price of NT$750, limited to 700 sets. To fulfil public welfare responsibilities, members will receive a 100% ET coin reward for each order. After deducting the logistics and handling fees, all proceeds from the sales will be donated to the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind.
Despite the great challenges faced by all enterprises during the pandemic period, Eastern continues to be an ardent supporter of public welfare, spreading love to all corners of Taiwan. Not only did the company gift Eastern Natural Beauty skincare products to encourage new immigrant mothers to build up their beauty and self-confidence on Mother’s Day, it also donated NT$300,000 to help the St. Camillus Center for Intellectual Disability in Yilan to help them through the hardships of the pandemic period. In addition, Eastern took the lead in cooperating with the Council of Agriculture to sell agricultural and fishery products at the early stages of the pandemic to help small farmers resolve the crisis of stagnant sales. Eastern also expressed its gratitude to “Captain Taiwan” – our healthcare, police, fire departments, and vaccine research and development teams for their hard work by donating health supplements and STREMARK skincare products from Eastern Natural Beauty, valued at over NT$10 million, as pandemic-prevention gifts. Eastern hopes to show love through practical actions and calls on members of the public to do their part for pandemic prevention and to care for the needs of the underprivileged so that we can all endure this difficult time together.