Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan

Thank you for supporting Rehabilitation for burn survivors in Taiwan! Because of you, every year, hundreds of burn survivors have access to comprehensive physical and psychosocial rehabilitation services to start rebuilding their lives. Because of you, Sunshine was able to respond to two major burn disasters in 2014 and 2015 that left over 500 people injured.

One of these burn survivors is Chi-Yu, who sustained burn injuries over 80% of his body during the Formosa Fun Coast Water Park Dust Explosion in June 2015. Chi-Yu has always loved playing basketball but after his injury, he doubted whether he would be able to play again because scars over his body limited his movements and his physical endurance was greatly reduced. But thanks to regular physical rehabilitation and the constant encouragement of social workers, Chi-Yu progresively regained confidence and began to believe that his dream of playing basketball wasn't so far away.

It took almost two years but Chi-Yu finally was able to return to the baskball court during a game organized by Sunshine Foundation for the survivors of the Dust Explosion. Rehabilitation is difficult, it takes time, but with perseverance, these burn survivors have shown us that everything is possible.  

You can help burn survivors like Chi-Yu finish 2017 on a high note by donating to Sunshine Foundation during:

1. #GivingTuesday:

• #GivingTuesday campaign will begin November 28th, 2017, at 00:00:01 EST and end at 23:59:59 EST on November 28th, 2017 (Taiwan time: 11/28 13:00 to 11/29 12:59). Projects will be competing for a portion of $75,000 Incentive Fund. Our share of the fund will be determined by what percentage of the total fund our organization raises on Giving Tuesday. For example, if we raise 5% of the total dollars raised on Giving Tuesday, we will be awarded 5% – or $3,750 – of the Incentive Fund. This means that all donations from all donors will count all day!

2. Year-end campaign:

• GlobalGiving’s Year-End Campaign begins at 00:00:01 EST on Wednesday, November 29th, 2017 and ends at 23:59:59 EST on Sunday, December 31st, 2017 (Taiwan time: 11/29 13:00 to 01/01 12:59.

We thank you for helping make the dreams of recovery of burn survivors possible!

As Sunshine Foundation celebrates its 35^th anniversary in 2017, we look at the professionals who help burn survivors move forward on the road towards rehabilitation and recovery.

“Burn survivors are like my family, I care deeply about making sure that the pressure garments they wear are comfortable.”

                -          Chu-Ying, seamstress

When the Formosa Fun Coast Water Park Dust Explosion occurred on June 27, 2015, Sunshine Foundation knew that a huge number of burn survivors would need pressure garments. Ensuring that our pressure garment production services would be able to keep up with their needs became a crucial issue.

Chu-Ying has been a seamstress at Sunshine Foundation for many years and is responsible for sewing pressure garments. After the Dust Explosion, she ended up making or adjusting over 1,000 garments per month! Despite having to work overtime, feeling exhausted or feeling her whole body ache due to the repeated movements, she kept going, knowing that many burn survivors counted on her. “Trying to keep up with orders was very tiring. However, I just had to stop and think about what the burn survivors were going through and I would feel re-energized because I knew that all of this was for them.”

Before joining Sunshine, Chu-Ying used to make wedding dresses. “Wedding dresses are totally different from pressure garments. You wear your dress once, but burn survivors must wear their garments 23 hours a day, for one to two years. You must pay close attention to every detail because being off by even just 1mm will result in the garment being too tight or too loose.” After 11 years making pressure garments, she still has the same passion.

She’s also committed to sharing her knowledge and skills with colleagues and counterparts abroad. She was one of Sunshine’s trainers sent to Nicaragua between 2011-2014 to train therapists and seamstresses from five Central America countries in making pressure garments.

The thing that she finds the most rewarding in her work is when burn survivors tell her that their pressure garment feels comfortable. That’s when Chu-Ying knows she’s played her part well in the overall rehabilitation of burn survivors.

Thanks to your donation, you make it possible for Chu-Ying to continue devoting herself to bringing the best services to burn survivors in Taiwan!