Rerum Novarum, the Jesuit social centre in Taipei dedicated to serving disadvantaged workers in vulnerable situations, gave winter supplies to foreign fishermen to help keep them warm during the bitter cold of winter.
In two occasions, Fr Hsu Sen-Yi SJ and Rerum Novarum Director Chung Chia-Ling led the centre’s staff, interns, and partner Magis Youth League in handing out quilts and winter clothes, such as coats, hats, trousers, and socks, to more than 1,000 foreign fishermen in 12 fishing ports in northern Taiwan. The winter supplies came from all over the country and took more than three months to collect.
Despite a chill in the wind, it was a sunny day when the centre carried out the first leg of its activity on 4 December. Upon arriving at the fishing port, they saw a neat line of fishermen waiting patiently without fretting or pushing. Several of them even took out their mobile phones to take selfies and broadcast live, calling on other fishermen in need to get supplies. They were like innocent children waiting in line for a gift. When they saw someone picking up a camera, they made funny gestures and shouted, “Shoot me! Shoot me!” They were carefree and completely different from how they usually are in daily life.
The weather proved difficult during their second trip on 6 December. It was not only very cold, approaching 10 degrees Celsius in the harbour, but also very windy and rainy. There were not enough shelters. The roofs and walls could not keep out the biting wind. Fishermen lining up for supplies kept crossing their hands, rubbing their arms together, and occasionally breathing into their hands with their mouths to keep warm. To make matters worse, several fishermen shivered in their thin short-sleeved shorts or raincoats, not having any warm sweaters and coats to wear. The centre’s staff sped up to get the supplies out so the fishermen could put them on quickly.
In recent years, Rerum Novarum has gone deep into the 12 fishing ports in northern Taiwan (Longdong, Shen-ao, Wanli, Gueihouo, Yeliu, Huanggang, Fuji, Dawulun, Waimushan, Zheng-bin, Badouzi, Chang-tan) to visit fishermen from tropical countries in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines), and has been sending winter coats to fishing ports for two consecutive years. Among these foreign fishermen, 487 benefited in 2017 and 851 in 2018. Now in its third year, the “Sending Warmth to Foreign Fishermen” activity continues to expand the scope of its services and has further established the fisherman services group to understand and respond better to the issues confronting foreign fishermen, including overtime work, inadequate legal protection, off-license work, and labour exploitation. Furthermore, the centre works to promote the fishermen’s rights and interests, and provides psychological support and group activities to make them feel the love and warmth of Taiwan.
Foreign fishermen who come to work in Taiwan are generally poor and have to pay off their debts due to the high fees paid by agencies. They also have to send the rest of the money home to support their families, which puts them in a very difficult situation. According to a survey, foreign fishermen only keep a little cash every month in case of emergency. There is almost no extra money for them to buy clothes for themselves, let alone coats or thick quilts. Foreign fishermen wearing thin short sleeves or long-sleeved cotton shirts can be seen everywhere. Despite the extremely cold wind and rain, they still do tough work. They dare not slack off, complain or shout in pain because if there is no work, there is no money. They have to bite the bullet for their families’ future.
Besides helping the fishermen to spend a warm winter, the centre, through the activity, hopes to make the public understand the situation of foreign fishermen and to invest more in their care and support. Happiness is increased through sharing. What the centre gave out were warm clothes, and what they received in return were warm spirits.