Huang Shuling looks back on 30 years of friendship: Lawyer Lin Guozhang’s yellow appointment letter witnesses the process of supporting the disadvantaged at Lanxin Maternal and Child Center

Taking out an appointment letter from Lin Guozhang as legal consultant that has been treasured for 30 years, Huang Shuling, the founder of Lanxin Maternity and Child Center, recounted an early memory today, emphasizing that this appointment letter, which was yellowed on paper and even the appointment period was blurred, was jokingly called "indefinitely terminated" by everyone. It not only witnesses the hardships of Lanxin starting from scratch, but also faithfully records lawyer Lin Guozhang's journey of silently protecting vulnerable women and children at the grassroots level. Before the "Domestic Violence Law" was passed in 1998, he supported women and children and held up a protective umbrella for this group of people!

Huang Shuling said that before Taiwan passed the Domestic Violence Prevention and Control Act in 1998 and established an independent Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention and Treatment Center, the system lacked protective policies and there were very few lawyers willing to take on domestic violence cases. During the most helpless years, Lan Xinquan entrusted Lin Guozhang to support her. He would always confirm the economic situation of the case first, charge a few hundred yuan as a token or even provide full-service free defense, protecting vulnerable women in the dark night.

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"Thirty years ago, we had no background, and we had to struggle to raise even a 100,000-yuan start-up fund." Huang Shuling said that when Lin Guozhang heard that the organization was going to build a shelter, he spent 20,000 yuan from his own pocket to support it. Lin Guozhang has long forgotten this start-up fund, which was very important at the time. However, this kind intention of doing good without letting others know has always remained deeply in the hearts of recipients and staff over the past 30 years.

Looking at this yellowed letter of appointment, which is regarded as a family heirloom by the organization, Huang Shuling smiled to Lin Guozhang today and said, "The date on it is gone, which means our agreement is for life!" Everyone smiled knowingly when they heard this. From the early years when he was not afraid of pressure to help disadvantaged women appear in court to fight for their rights, to the long-term investment in various legal aid work, Lin Guozhang's 30 years of continuous legal professional support has become the most steadfast arm in the hearts of Lanxin social workers and disadvantaged families.

This long-term support has also allowed Lanxin to expand from a simple shelter to one that takes into account children's rights and independent companionship. The organization has also established a sheltered workshop that "takes care of people more than selling products". Disadvantaged mothers personally lead disabled children to find jobs, using a mutual aid model of "taking responsibility to make positive" to interrupt the generational cycle of domestic violence. For 30 years, Lin Guozhang has been dedicated to the rights of women and children, accompanying many families through difficulties and regaining their footing.

Knowing that lawyer Lin Guozhang, who has been protecting Lan Xin for many years, is visiting today, the children in the sheltered workshop are particularly looking forward to it. They have been baking handmade biscuits upstairs early in the morning, preparing to personally give back their gratitude. Huang Shuling said that a yellowed certificate represents 30 years of knowing and cherishing each other. This selfless contribution that transcends laws and systems has taken root at the grassroots level in Yilan and turned into the deepest and warmest cycle of goodwill on the land.