TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Belize Embassy gifted seven English-language children’s books to Rixing Elementary School in Taipei on Thursday (Sept. 28).

Belizean Ambassador to Taiwan Candice Pitts presented the books at a donation ceremony held in the school’s library. For Taiwan-Belize diplomatic relations, there are “opportunities to foster cultural exchanges and educational opportunities,” Pitts said.

The selection of books focuses on Belize’s culture and wildlife, teaching young readers about the country and inspiring them to want to know more places beyond Taiwan, she said.

The books also teach children to be responsible travelers and “incorporate some of the U.N’s Sustainable Development Goals by advising children not to pollute the environment in Belize, damage the Maya Ruins, or touch the corals at the Belize Great Barrier Reef, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” the ambassador said.

Pitts said she hoped the donations “will be available and accessible to all students and their families and that they will aid in the library’s ambition to help promote international exposure and to stimulate a love of reading among our children and young people.”

The books include: "Doodley Bear Adventures Belize," "Country Jumper in Belize," "Counting Belize Frogs and Toads," "Birding in Belize with Colours," "Beautiful Belize Reef," and "Kylee on the Go: Belize and Jada Goes to Belize." They are on display at a special Belize-themed exhibition set up by the library for students to learn more about the Central American country.

This donation is part of the Belize Embassy’s efforts to promote the country to young Taiwanese through reading. In December 2022, the embassy gave away five children’s books and one novel to the National Central Library.

It also had a booth at the Taiwan Reading Festival promoting Belize’s culture and nature. Pitts previously told Taiwan News that national symbols are the first images through which people are usually introduced to a country.

These symbols “help build people-to-people understanding between Taiwanese and Belizeans,” she said.

The Belize Embassy is part of the Platform for the Promotion and Enhancement of English Language and English Literature in Taiwan, which was established in 2021 by the ambassadors of Taiwan's English-speaking Caribbean. The platform aims to contribute to the Taiwan government's goal of bilingualism by 2030.

Ambassador Candice Pitts speaking to Rixing Elementary School students. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)