As the saying goes, “Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” For many disadvantaged youths, having a stable job and income is how they can become self-reliant. Thus, the Social Welfare Department and the Republic of China Air Force Combat Command have been collaborating on the Self-Reliant Project since 2014, matching youths from low- and middle-income households in the city with opportunities to serve in the army. The stable income and preferential reductions in water and electricity bills for national army personnel, as well as medical subsidies in military hospitals, can improve the family financial conditions of enlisted youths. The city government also adopts a flexible approach to retaining the welfare status of low- and middle-income households that the increase in income due to employment within a certain amount and period does not affect eligibility to welfare benefits (i.e. the increased income from participating in the Air Force’s Self-Reliant Project is still calculated based on minimum wage for up to 4 years). Therefore, disadvantaged youths need not worry about losing their original welfare status when applying to join the Air Force. Since the collaboration kick-started in 2014, a total of 88 students had been admitted by 2020 through recruitment documents being sent to graduates (seniors in high schools and universities) from low- and middle-income households.

Competent Authority：The Social Welfare Department X Republic of China Air Force Combat Command