Secretariat, Taipei City Government

Just before the International Volunteer Day, Taipei City Center for Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (DVPC) held the DVPC Volunteer 30th Anniversary celebration on the morning of November 29 to pay tribute and give thanks to the volunteers who have devoted themselves to preventing domestic violence over the years.

The earliest DVPC volunteer squad was established in 1989, which was responsible for conducting anti-domestic violence campaigns and managing the helpline. Now, the volunteer squad has formed the So Adorable Theater Troupe to conduct itinerant campaigns at various elementary schools. Consisting of 52 members, the volunteer squad has an average age of 67.46 years; the oldest and youngest volunteer is 83 and 55 years old respectively.

Over the last 3 decades of domestic violence prevention work, the volunteers served as the vanguard of the domestic violence prevention movement before it rose to prominence and attracted society’s attention. They selflessly contributed to preventing domestic violence and taking helpline calls to provide consultation services; they also implemented the Love Your Family – Stay Away from Violence campaign in an effort to encourage the victims of domestic violence to seek assistance and end the cycle of violence. Now, by forming the So Adorable Theater Troupe, the volunteers stage performances in elementary schools to promote domestic violence awareness every year. Dressed up as 113 Fairies in white dress, the volunteers sing the song “113 Fairies Are Here to Protect You” and enthusiastically lead the children on a fitness sing and dance along, allowing them to remember the helpline number off by heart and teaching them to protect themselves from a young age.

Taipei City Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-Kun mentioned during his speech that the biggest reward one can reap by helping others is learning something new and achieving self-realization. Tsai also expressed his respect for the energetic senior volunteers and thanked them for their perseverance. In particular, he presented 9 veteran volunteers boasting 30 years of uninterrupted service record with the certificate of appreciation to commend their remarkable contributions in the field of domestic violence prevention. Deputy Director of the Social and Family Affairs Administration Chang Mei-Mei too turned out for the function to wish the volunteers health, and she made a date with them to celebrate the 60th anniversary.

With 28 years of service experience, volunteer squad leader Chen Chu-Erh shared that the most memorable encounter as a volunteer took place when the volunteers worked together to help a pair of siblings find a suitable foster home, thereby culminating in a happy ending. The newly appointed squad leader Tsai Hsiu-Mei also shared that the greatest beneficiary of serving as a volunteer for the past 11 years is herself, because being a volunteer helped to enrich her life, and she learned how to perform on the stage by joining the So Adorable Theater Troupe. She explained that if she did not join the DVPC volunteer squad, she would never have dreamt of performing on stage one day. Lastly, the volunteer squad leader’s appeal to the audience to join the ranks of DVPC volunteers was received with applause and support.