President Ma Ying-jeou on the afternoon of July 14 (Haiti time) visited Food For the Poor (FFP) headquarters, presiding over a ceremony to mark a donation of rice. Afterwards he attended a reception for Haitian recipients of scholarships under the Taiwan Scholarship program. In the evening, Haitian President Michel Joseph Martelly hosted President Ma at a state banquet.
Following the conclusion of the morning itinerary President Martelly accompanied President Ma, who presided over a ceremony in which he donated rice to the FFP on behalf of the ROC. After the ceremony President Ma and FFP President and CEO Robin Mahfood jointly distributed small bags of rice to representatives of families in need.
In remarks delivered by President Ma, he said that in the 59 years that the ROC and Haiti have maintained diplomatic relations, the two countries have looked upon their relationship as a brotherhood. The ROC, he said, in 2007 began cooperation with the FFP to carry out a plan that aims to address Haiti's serious problems with food shortages and malnutrition.
The president noted that the FFP is one of the largest and most effective non-governmental organizations in Haiti, and since its founding has provided food, potable water, shelter, medical treatment, and related services, as well as goods to those in need. After the major earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the organization immediately used various channels to deliver rice, food, and other provisions, helping countless people, he said.
As a result of cooperation among the ROC, Haiti, and the FFP, Taiwan has delivered over 20,000 metric tons of rice to Haiti over the past few years, thereby assisting the Haitian public to get through difficult times. Based on the principle that it is better to teach others how to provide for themselves rather than only offering donations, the president said that the ROC and Haiti have cooperated on boosting the nation's rice output. Forecasts show that the Rice Seed Production Capacity Enhancement Project will increase the supply of certified rice seed to meet 45% of demand versus the current 14%, thus enabling Haiti to produce up to 2,000 metric tons of rice annually. Over 50,000 farming households will benefit from this program, which will create an overall economic benefit of US$8.17 million, equivalent to an increase of US$318 for each farming household, he said. Meanwhile, the Les Cayes Cereal Crops Development Project will assist Haiti to boost its output and supply of grain. The ROC has thus adopted a two-pronged approach, both donating rice and increasing production, to assist Haiti to resolve its food shortage, and the president remarked that work in this regard has been quite successful.
In closing, the president expressed his gratitude to FFP President Mahfood for personally making the trip from the United States to jointly preside over the ceremony. ROC Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂), who was also at the ceremony, conferred the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy on Mr. Mahfood in recognition of his outstanding contributions in helping the ROC carry out its diplomatic aid program.
The president then returned to his hotel to meet with Claude Marcus Boereau, the head of the Taiwan Alumni Association in Haiti, and also presented scholarship certificates to new students who have been accepted into the Taiwan Scholarship program.
In remarks to the group, the president said that the ROC government hopes to turn Taiwan into a hub for higher education in the Asia-Pacific. It aims to enable more students from overseas to come to Taiwan to study while also making Taiwan's campuses more international, thus increasing opportunities for interaction between local and international students. In fact, Taiwan has an outstanding reputation throughout Southeast Asia for its vocational education, and has become the first choice among Indonesians seeking to study abroad. The governments of Vietnam, Thailand, and India, meanwhile, provide funding for instructors from vocational academies in those nations to come to Taiwan to study for master's degrees. This underscores the enormous potential of Taiwan's vocational education and the strong possibility of turning Taiwan into a center for higher education in the Asia-Pacific, the president said.
President Ma pointed out that to date over 200 students from Haiti have studied in Taiwan and that quite a few have already returned to Haiti to apply what they have learned including Claude Marcus Boereau, director of the Center for Facilitation of Investments under Haiti's Ministry of Commerce and Industry; Germain Barbara, an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ronald Voltaire, executive director at the Bank of the Republic of Haiti; Jean Wisley Guillaume, second secretary at the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in the ROC; and Wilfranc Dorchelan, a lawyer.
President Ma also thanked President Martelly for placing such importance on the Taiwan Scholarship program, and encouraged this year's scholarship recipients to help in Haiti's development once they complete their studies.
In the evening, President Ma attended a state banquet held by President Martelly in his honor. The two heads of state enjoyed cordial discussions during the banquet and exchanged gifts, helping to deepen the bilateral friendship.