The "18 Co-workers" graduation project team of the Department of Information and Communication at STUST recently launched the "Old Shoes Save Lives" small-scale campus charity fundraising event and joined hands with the "Old Shoes Save Lives Christian Care Association" to collect supplies for residents in distant Africa. This group of graduating students put what they had learned into action and spread love and hope across national borders. Under the guidance and support of Prof. Dan-ching Liang, the event received a warm response from teachers and students across the school in just three days, with a total of 58 pairs of shoes, 217 pieces of clothing, and 11 bags collected. All the supplies were delivered to the "Old Shoes Save Lives" Bethlehem warehouse on March 21 and will soon be shipped to Africa by sea to bring tangible help to poor children and residents in Africa.

【The "18 Colleagues" graduation project team of the Department of Information and Communication at STUST recently launched the "Old Shoes Save Lives" campus charity fundraising event. The students in the team worked together and actively raised supplies, hoping to send love to Africa and help the local residents.】

A 2024 report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pointed out that more than 1 billion people in the world live in extreme poverty, of which 584 million are children. At the same time, statistics from Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency show that the amount of used clothing recycled in 2020 hit a decade high of 78,000 metric tons, indicating that resource waste is becoming increasingly serious. These data not only highlight the global gap between the rich and the poor, but are also closely related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 12: "Responsible Consumption and Production." The team hopes to arouse public attention through practical actions. Living in Taiwan, a country with abundant resources, we should cherish materials, reduce overconsumption, extend the life of materials through recycling and reuse, practice "net-zero green living," and contribute to the sustainable development of the Earth.

【The "18 Co-workers" team successfully attracted everyone's attention through creative promotion on social media, setting up stalls on campus, and actively interacting with teachers and students, prompting everyone to respond to this public welfare fundraising campaign.】

The STUST highly appreciates the students' initiative and praises them for combining their professional studies with social concerns, demonstrating college students' high sense of social responsibility. The "18 Co-workers" team successfully connected the love of teachers and students through social media and campus publicity. A team member said: "We hope that through this event, more people will understand that there are still many people in need of help in different corners of the world, and call on people to cherish resources and give old things new value." The first donor, Wang, also shared: "I learned about the event from Dcard and hope to do my part to bring warmth to society."

【The "18 Co-workers" team successfully connected the love of teachers and students through social media and campus publicity and held a small fundraising event on campus, to which students responded by donating supplies.】

Instructor Dan-ching Liang said that the "18 Co-workers" team has developed a deep understanding and spirit of cooperation during their four years of college life. On the eve of graduation, they hope to be as united as the "18 Bronze Men," applying what they have learned to the fullest and putting a perfect end to their college career. Prof. Dan-ching Liang also emphasized that combining graduation projects with public welfare and cross-sea assistance to African children is not only a professional practice for students but also a valuable form of social participation. Through practical actions, students can gain a deeper understanding of social issues and develop empathy and a sense of responsibility. This experience will have a positive impact on their future career development and cultivate professional communication talents with greater social care and a sense of mission.

【Wang, a student from STUST who is enthusiastic about public welfare, is the first donor of this event. He browsed Dcard on his mobile phone and learned that STUST was holding an "Old Shoes Save Lives" fundraising event. Without saying a word, he brought supplies to donation. Wang expressed his hope to do his best to bring warmth to residents far away in Africa.】

The "18 Co-workers" team is composed of 18 students from the Department of Information and Communication of STUST, including Bing-feng Wang, Jia-yi Chang, Shiao-shan Wu, Pei-shuan Huang, Jia-ying Li, Jun-ting Liu, Chiao-chi Chuang, Shiang-ching Lian, Tsai-feng Huang, Pin-wei Chiu, Jun-wei Tsu, Jia-chuan Chang, Wei-shin Zeng, Yi-ting Li, Jia-rong Wu, Kai-rui Guo, Wei-chen Chuang, and Li-ling Tang. They worked together during their four years in college, developing a deep understanding and spirit of cooperation. On the eve of graduation, they decided to complete their graduation project together under the name of "18 Co-workers," hoping that they could be like the 18 Bronze Men in history—united, persevering, each doing their own job, and invincible—so as to bring what they have learned over the past four years to the extreme and put a perfect end to their college career.

【The "18 Co-workers" team successfully connected the love of teachers and students through social media and campus publicity.】

This event was not only a material donation but also a practice of combining information dissemination with public welfare. The "18 Co-workers" team recorded the process of this small campus fundraising activity into a video work, hoping to draw more people's attention to international issues. The "Old Shoes Save Lives" Association will continue to hold fundraising events in various places in the future, including from March 28 to 30 in Anping District, Tainan, from April 19 to 20 at Chiayi's South China High School of Commerce, and an event scheduled for July in Kaohsiung.

【In just three days, this team received a warm response from teachers and students across the school, and a total of 58 pairs of shoes, 217 pieces of clothing, and 11 bags were collected. All the supplies have been sent to the "Old Shoes Save Lives" warehouse in Bethlehem and will soon be shipped to Africa by sea to bring practical help to local residents.】