CDF is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, and has gathered the Group's volunteers in response to the Regional Revitalization Project of the National Development Council (NDC) with concrete actions. By the end of last year, the total hours of volunteer service had increased by 75% compared to the previous year. Through a series of volunteer programs, we have supported social enterprises in local communities, promoted local values, and brought back vitality to the rural areas.
"Regional Revitalization" has become a new trend in urban and rural development. According to the NDC, Taiwan is expected to enter a super-aged society by 2025, when one in five Taiwanese population will be aged 65 or above. However, there are already more than 100 villages and towns in Taiwan where the elderly population has exceeded 30%. In the face of the over-concentration of population in major cities and the imbalance of urban and rural development, CDF has taken regional revitalization as the main focus of our volunteer services to actively respond to the needs of local communities. By linking up the innovative energies of social enterprises, we aim to help local communities create long-term support systems to sustain the development of regional revitalization.
Since 2021, CDF has been working with Plahan Shared Care Labor Cooperative to assist tribes along the Daan River in Heping District, Taichung City to set up a model of local elderly care and inclusion care. Starting from last year, CDF has organized volunteers from the Group to build or repair chicken coops for the elderly and physically challenged youth in the tribes. Through concrete actions, the project " Healthy Life-Chicken Can Help" has been supporting the elderly in tribes to raise chickens and sell eggs so as to achieve the goal of financial independence. Through the joint efforts of Plahan's team, Hen and Traveler Company, the monthly egg production of the tribes has now increased from 3,000 to over 10,000. The " Healthy Life-Chicken Can Help" project not only improves the income of the elderly, but also helps them rediscover the value of their lives through the companionship of chickens and the sense of accomplishment in raising chickens.
To create a diverse model of regional revitalization, the CDF's volunteers have also assisted tribes in building "Tribal Art Museum", including the Taiya Workshop, the Healthy Life-Chicken Can Help Storytelling Museum, and an All-Age Herb Garden. The volunteers transported 300 stones from the banks of the Daan River to the construction site of the Tribal Art Museum, painted the old Taiya workshop and chicken coops, and removed weeds and large sundries. Thanks to their efforts, the Plahan Long-Term Care Base in the Dakuan Tribe has been transformed into an important place for the tribe's elderly to meet and exchange ideas with the youth, making it a benchmark for social inclusion of elderly in Taiwan.