Anding District Office, Tainan City

　　(Tainan City) Anding District Office’s Anding Charity Organization once again sent out its team, which showcased how renovation work can spread compassion. The team was at the Fang household for four straight days, lasting from May 8-11, and, while there, team members patched up the sanheyuan’s (a U-shaped building that surrounds a courtyard) traditional-style tiled roof that had been leaky for years. The team took conserving the original appearance of the historic house into consideration, and so Chinese roof tile renovation expert Lin Ming-jun, a volunteer, was put in charge of this restoration undertaking. Now finished, this project allows the Fang family to enjoy a historic house that still displays its original appearance while also eliminating the need to constantly worry about the aforementioned unrelenting roof leak. In addition to taking into account the appearance of the traditional-style tiled roof, the restoration effort also factored in the elderly owners worrying about a roof renovated with galvanized iron being quite noisy when it rains.

 

　　Part of the funds for this project’s renovation costs came from Tainan City Government’s Bureau of Social Affairs, which allocated funds from the Subsidy Program for Improving the Facilities of Elderly Low-Income Households and Lower Middle-Income Households. Lin, who specializes in cement and historic house renovation, carried out an on-site inspection. He felt that the historic look of the roof could be preserved by renovating it with traditional methods. Furthermore, laying down galvanized iron sheets would destroy the home’s old-fashioned appearance, and the owners of the house had already mentioned their concerns about a noisy roof on rainy days. All in all, after getting the owners’ approval, the team completed its mission rather smoothly.

 

　　The Fang family qualifies as a lower middle-income elderly household, so it receives a living allowance. The elderly couple have two children, yet their salaries have never been high enough to save up the money necessary to renovate their parents’ home. Basically, the dilapidated sanheyuan’s roof has been in disrepair for years, resulting in frequent roof leaks, and the waterproof sheets were already in a very shabby state. It was clear to see that the house was unable to offer even the most basic living needs.

 

　　Two months before this charitable endeavor took place, the family actually had contacted contractors in order to get them to quote renovation costs. However, the estimates were either too expensive or companies would call off renovation work after giving an estimate, causing the family to give up on the idea of getting restoration work done. Fortunately for them, Anding Charity Organization familiarized themselves with the Fang’s situation. After the house was inspected, the district office contacted the Bureau of Social Affairs in order to apply for funding and then the team was sent out. As a result of this effort, they were able to fix the house so that it once again serves as a functional living space.        

 

　　Anding District Chief Liu Shih-Hsiung mentioned that Anding Charity Organization had recently been contacted by SunCrown CATV and Twinstars CATV in order to interview the organization, and CNS NEWS featured them in a story as well. We are happy to see that this charity organization’s hard work and commitment have earned the approval and respect of the media. News reports like the above are good exposure in two ways in that households that require renovation work will find out about how Anding Charity Organization’s renovation methods assist those in need while kind-hearted people and skilled professionals can join the organization as a platform for carrying out volunteer work. As a result of this commitment to charitable renovation, we hope that, through the assistance of Anding Charity Organization, we will be able to help more families residing in houses in need of repair, as we want them to once again be able to enjoy living in homes that meet basic living needs. By doing the above, we can realize the vision of making “Tainan a great place to live and Anding a district full of happiness”.