By Kettelene Eloissaint

Being a volunteer and the curriculum coordinator for the SALT Collectiv Education Program has been a fantastic experience. Volunteering to help those in need has always been a passion of mine. As a Christ follower, my church family and mother in Florida taught me the importance of giving back from a young age.

During my teenage years, I accumulated over 5,000 community service hours through various activities such as teaching Sunday school, hosting a radio show, and participating in organizations like March for Dimes, AYSO Horses for Handicap, and Autism Soccer Saturday. I found fulfillment in giving back and continued by becoming a youth leader at Southmost Mennonite and Grace Haitian United Methodist Churches, a literacy teacher through AmeriCorps Miami Rescue Missions, a camp counselor at Branches org, and a reading interventionist in the Miami-Dade Public School system. Through these organizations, I was able to participate in soup kitchens, feet washing of the homeless, street and beach clean-ups, city regentrification projects,  literacy fundraising and programs, spring break and summer camps, after-school programs, and more. This lifestyle became part of my DNA.

After earning three degrees, I realized that the law field wasn’t my calling. So, I pursued a Master’s in Education specializing in ELL and ESOL. I vowed to use my education to give back and glorify God. Moving to China and immersing myself in the culture was challenging due to the language barrier, making volunteering challenging. But that all changed after moving to Taiwan and becoming part of the Bread of Life International Church. We are about being a light, doing life together, and engaging in missions.

As a partner for the SALT Collectiv orphanage program, there were limited opportunities to volunteer at the onset of COVID-19. However, the first visit to the orphanage felt like a breath of fresh air. Teaching the children volleyball and hearing their laughter brought immense joy and a yearning for more. This led to more volunteering opportunities, including orphanage visits and beach clean-ups.

Through these events, I connected with the core members of SALT Collectiv and developed a passion for the orphanage program. After praying and reaching out, I discovered a need for a curriculum. By collaborating with Mr. Chris Lo, we developed a curriculum using my children’s book, “A Children’s Motivational Goal Journal Book,” written over ten years prior. Implementing the curriculum in the fall of 2023 was a success. We created engaging activities that helped the children set and pursue their goals despite setbacks. They learned new dances and created goals through drawing and journaling. 

Although we face language barriers and cultural differences, we persevere in our goal of making the SALT Education Program beneficial and sustainable. Our volunteers bring hope and love to the children through their time, skills, and expertise. I know firsthand the impact of presence and love, as it was a Jamaican pastor and his family who reached out to me—a scared and confused seven-year-old Haitian immigrant seeking asylum in a foreign country.

To anyone interested in making a difference in the lives of children in Taiwan, this is a wonderful opportunity to give back. Your presence matters, and you can make a difference. Join us in being SALTy and spreading light in the lives of these children.

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1.) Can I volunteer with orphans in Taiwan?

Yes, contact us for more details about our orphanage ministry. SALT Collectiv partners with the SOS Children’s Village in Taoyuan. With each visit to the orphanage, we aim to provide friendship, hope, and guidance as a big brother or sister by leading through example. Volunteering with SALT Collectiv not only makes a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized, but also makes a lasting imprint in your heart. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.

2.) Can foreigners volunteer in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv is a diverse international community of volunteers uniting for the purpose of making a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized. There are no prerequisites required to sign up for events and we welcome expats and locals alike to join our community. We ask only that you come with a heart to serve. When individuals come together, dedicating their time and talent to serve the marginalized, lives are touched and communities are transformed. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.

3.) Where can I volunteer in Taiwan?

SALT Collectiv is a nonprofit headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan that hosts volunteer opportunities to serve the marginalized. Volunteer opportunities include serving the homeless through our SALT soup kitchen, orphanage visitations, elderly care, biannual beach cleanups, and our annual Christmas Giving Tree that gives over 1,000 gifts each year to the marginalized all over Taiwan. We also have fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Our FUNdraiser events bring the fun into building our community. Come checkout our community and join the movement.

Our family moved to Taiwan 5 years ago with the calling of serving the local people here. My wife and I are big on family values and our vision is to see thriving marriage relationships where healthy communication, healthy expectations & boundaries are cultivated & set. It was through SALT Collectiv, we found a long term orphanage volunteer opportunity at Taoyuan’s SOS Children’s Village. SALT Collectiv’s vision is to make an impact in the lives of these children by building relationships with them. 

Our structure for this partnership set up by SALT Collectiv is to build a long term relationship between our church and SOS. We commit to the orphanage on a regular visitation basis, usually every month or two, and we were required to commit one year minimum. SALT Collectiv wanted to respect and honor the kids and shield them from the feeling of abandonment, that’s why we were asked to commit one year minimum. Most groups like us end up sticking around indefinitely after falling in love with these adorable kids.

We become their big brothers and sisters that come alongside them to encourage and mentor them. I have been taking a group of young men & women from church to spend time and play with these children for the past 2 years and it has been amazing! These children ages 6-17 warmed up to us quickly and they are full of energy and life. They just want to play tag all day and they never seem to run out of enthusiasm and energy! It is through these games and activities we get to know each child and their stories. One teenage boy shared with me that he came to this village from a young age and he has never seen his dad and has not met his other two siblings. He tells me that he would like to meet his older siblings one day.

Although many stories that we have come across are similar to the one above, their stories did not have a good beginning. This is where we get to impact these precious children’s lives for the better. As we build relationships with them, we get to share the love of Jesus & the hope that we have in Christ with them. We get to speak life and identity into these children. When they might feel that they are neglected, forgotten and abandoned by their loved ones and perhaps even looked down by society, we bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to them! We want to let them know that they are precious and valuable to God and God loves them, delights in them and accepts them! 

One thing I really love about SOS Children’s Village is that they don’t believe in hand out but they believe in hand up. They teach these children that every one of them is capable. They are not just interested in looking for sympathy help from us or other organizations. What they are looking for is an opportunity or platform to display their talents and abilities. 

They believe that each child has God given talents and gifts that are just waiting to be discovered. They teach each child how to bake goods for sale. They learn how to make banana cake, cheese cake, egg tarts & assorted cookies. Their milk pearl tea is pretty good and their tea eggs are delicious! What I like the most is their marinated bean curd. I was impressed as all of the baked goods and drinks are all professionally packaged like the ones sold in stores and that’s a learned skill. 

These children are very talented and very good at direct sales as well. First time I was there, this boy asked me if I like egg tarts. I said egg tarts are ok for me. He told me to try one on the house. I took up on his offer and ate one. The crust was crispy and the custard had just the right sweetness to it. It was warm as it was right from the oven. He then asked, did you like it? I said yes. I think he was waiting for that. Then he said, it’s 25NT per one and 4 in a box, that would be 100NT please, thank you! I’ve got to hand it to him, he is business minded.

My family, and the church group that goes to build relationships with these children, are in it for the long run. Building relationships takes time, effort and intentionality. Our heart is to be a mentor figure in their lives to encourage them and to be alongside them. Sometimes the most profound way to influence or impact a person is just to spend time with them and perhaps even in doing the mundane things in life, a teaching moment appears where we get to speak life into these precious children. This is why we have partnered with SALT Collectiv; to see and help to shape their life stories so they have a different ending than how they began. I encourage everyone from all walks of life to come and volunteer with SALT Collectiv and serve the marginalized here in Taiwan, there’s still so much need and we can all start with a small step.

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1.) Can I volunteer with orphans in Taiwan?

Yes, contact us for more details about our orphanage ministry. SALT Collectiv partners with the SOS Children’s Village in Taoyuan. With each visit to the orphanage, we aim to provide friendship, hope, and guidance as a big brother or sister by leading through example. Volunteering with SALT Collectiv not only makes a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized, but also makes a lasting imprint in your heart. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.

2.) Can foreigners volunteer in Taiwan?

Yes! SALT Collectiv is a diverse international community of volunteers uniting for the purpose of making a lasting imprint for the vulnerable and marginalized. There are no prerequisites required to sign up for events and we welcome expats and locals alike to join our community. We ask only that you come with a heart to serve. When individuals come together, dedicating their time and talent to serve the marginalized, lives are touched and communities are transformed. In volunteering, you engage in causes bigger than yourself, cultivate meaningful relationships and positively impact your community.

3.) Where can I volunteer in Taiwan?

SALT Collectiv is a nonprofit headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan that hosts volunteer opportunities to serve the marginalized. Volunteer opportunities include serving the homeless through our SALT soup kitchen, orphanage visitations, elderly care, biannual beach cleanups, and our annual Christmas Giving Tree that gives over 1,000 gifts each year to the marginalized all over Taiwan. We also have fundraiser events such as trivia nights, bake sales, F45 workouts, carwashes, and many more. Our FUNdraiser events bring the fun into building our community. Come checkout our community and join the movement.