Shih Cheng Yen's Blog, page 23

After Hurricane Ian, Tzu Chi Holds Fourth Distribution in Florida, U.S.

On September 28, Hurricane Ian hit the eastern United States, and Tzu Chi volunteers went to Naples, the worst-affected city, to distribute cash cards to those affected, to help them get through the hard times.



Tzu Chi’s First Distribution in Naples City

On September 28, Hurricane Ian devastated Florida in the United States as a Category 4 hurricane. It killed more than 100 people and destroyed the homes of people with torrential rain and strong winds.

Tzu Chi volunteers from six American states continued distributions after Hurricane Ian. On October 23, they held the fourth distribution in Florida and the first one in Naples city. The venue was the auditorium of the Naples Botanical Garden and it benefited 425 households, a total of 1,326 people.

Volunteer Berry
Boxes of blankets were constantly supplied to the front line. Berry lives in Fort Myers, one of the areas worst hit by Ian. But, fortunately, his home is safe. So, when a friend told him that Tzu Chi was going to hold a distribution in Naples, he felt obliged to participate.


Berry said: "Your organization is an outstanding group. To be volunteering comes from the heart, it doesn’t come from making cooperative benefits. It comes from the fact that the organization takes money to help people in need. That is why I want to be part of it."
Friendship and Love

There were different community organizations on site, with more than 50 Tzu Chi volunteers, including Councilor Penny Taylor of Collier County.


Councilor Penny Taylor said gratefully: "Thank you Tzu Chi for coming. Thank you for your gifts and friendship, and for teaching me what friendship is and what love is.”




Councilor Penny Taylor is the driving force behind this distribution. She and Tzu Chi met after Hurricane Irma five years ago. This time Florida was hit hard again. The first thing she thought of was Tzu Chi’s blue and white uniform.


Tzu Chi volunteers shared the spirit of Tzu Chi’s compassion with Councilor Penny Taylor. And she understood it. She said that, as long as she had the opportunity, she would be willing to help Tzu Ch.


Volunteer Cynthia Schultz said: "We are moved by your message and we love it, so we want to contribute more."


Teresa, an affected resident, was moved and grateful: “Seeing volunteers from different countries come to us is an unprecedented experience. We are very grateful and thank you for your help. We hope that we can take it step by step. When we settle down, we are also willing to help others who are in a similar situation to us.”


The seven-hour interaction between the volunteers and the residents not only inspired kindness in them, but also injected more love into Naples, which is rebuilding after the disaster.



After handing cash cards and relief supplies to the affected, Tzu Chi volunteers bowed to them with courtesy and embraced them lovingly. The volunteers comforted with genuine sincerity those who are suffering.



This world needs compassion and loving-kindness from everyone. Join Tzu Chi and let us spread warmth to everywhere.




To know more about Tzu Chi’s Relief in Florida after Hurricane Ian, please visit Tzu Chi U.S.A. website.







Article: Liu You-rong; Qiu Pin-hao Report from U.S.A

Gather All Our Power to Inspire Goodness—Distributions in Sri Lanka (Part 2/2)

In addition to providing assistance in the Kesbewa district of Colombo, from September 16-18, the Sri Lankan volunteers also went to the Milania district; it is about 25 kilometers from the contact point in the capital. Volunteers had to distribute in three different locations within three days. They benefited a total of 820 households.


Donate Petrol Coupons to Help Distribution


Thankfully, trainee volunteer Ranjith translated the Sinhala language into the Tamil language. Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic and cultural country, so translators were needed to communicate with the villagers during the distribution. Although the languages were different, the smiles on the faces and the kindness in the heart helped love flow between them.



In 2021, the Sri Lanka government suddenly launched the "organic farming" policy, which banned the use of pesticides nationwide. Milania District is an agricultural area; the new policy has had a great impact on the livelihood of local farmers.


The shortage of gasoline has made people's life even harder. The government has restricted each car to a certain amount of gasoline per week; this makes the 40-minute drive further away. The volunteers worked out how to overcome difficulties together. They donated their own petrol coupons in order to go to the various locations for distribution.



Selfless love can always touch others. The two gas stations near the contact point are also happy to support the volunteers.





Jing Si Aphorisms Bring Confidence to the Sick


Volunteers do not only give material help; they also donate to each household a copy of the Sinhala version of Jing Si Aphorisms, hoping that this will bring people strength and comfort during their suffering.


On September 18, in Lenawara, a gentleman came with a helmet in his hand. When he found the love urn placed next to a photo of Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi, he respectfully put in a Thank You letter and one hundred rupees (US$0.27).


It turned out that his sick wife, Ms. Surangani, had asked him to come for supplies and bring her love to Tzu Chi. In the letter, she said: "I am really grateful to Master Cheng Yen for giving me a lot of encouragement through Jing Si Aphorisms. This time I don’t have to worry about food shortages anymore.” She also mentioned that she had suffered from three types of cancer in a row during the past ten years. With Tzu Chi's assistance, the Master's Jing Si Aphorisms have supported her through every test of life.



In addition to the volunteers, Ms. Dilrukshi, the secretary-general of Milania District, led the team during the successful distribution. This was not the end but the beginning.



You can also become a Tzu Chi volunteer, and your love will spread with every Tzu Chi action.






Walking with Love



In June 2022, thanks to the introduction of the Klang Valley branch in Malaysia, the Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala, the Sri Lankan Buddhist Gem Fellowship, and Tzu Chi Sri Lanka worked together to distribute in the Eastern and Central Provinces.


The residents of the Eastern province rely on farming for a living. In recent years, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, seasonal drought, and lack of fertilizers, the harvests have been poor. At the same time, because prices have been rising, their income has not only decreased in the past three years, but some farmers even have no income.


In Doluwa in the Central province, farmers mainly work in tea gardens. Their income in the remote countryside is very low, and medical support is also extremely scarce. Many families consist of old people and young children, or single-parent families. Therefore Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala hoped to work with Tzu Chi to distribute food to the most disadvantaged villagers in these remote areas.



On September 28 and 29, six volunteers drove from Colombo to Central and Eastern provinces to complete the relief distribution to 300 households.


On the first day in Doluwa, volunteer Arosha Paranavithana introduced Tzu Chi to the farmers. At that time, Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala did not know much about Tzu Chi. But, after listening, he was deeply moved. After the distribution, he immediately searched the Internet for more Tzu Chi stories.


The next day, in Dehia, Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala could not wait to tell everyone the story of Tzu Chi; he finished all the stories that Arosha was going to share. The volunteers did not know what to do; they could only laugh. The warmth and enthusiasm of the Master infected everyone at the scene.


In Sri Lanka, it is customary not to take babies under three months out of the house. However, most of the husbands have to go out to work to earn a meager living. Many of the people who came to the site to collect supplies were mothers holding their children.



Young Priyanthika Kumari had no-one at home to take care of the child, so she had to carry her baby, one month and six days old, to the distribution site.  She said: "I'm really grateful to Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala and Tzu Chi for helping us when we needed it most!" But she never expected that 30 kilos of rice and other food would be distributed this time. With this “heavy” love, she had no choice but to ask her husband -- who does odd jobs -- to help.


Aruna, a material supplier in Dehia, Central province, said: "Although the government has provided ten kilograms of rice and one kilogram of milk, it is very insufficient for some families, and this is the first time to have someone coming here to distribute supplies.” When he learnt about how Tzu Chi raised funds to help poor families, he was willing to do his best not only to offer the best prices for materials, but also specially prepared a vegetarian lunch for volunteers on the day of distribution.



Tzu Chi is sincerely grateful to those people willing to give. Although the power of every volunteer is limited, we believe that, through recruiting more volunteers, we can illuminate the world with love. We hope to gather all the power to inspire goodness and bring an end to suffering.



You can also save change every day and make good wishes, praying that everyone in the world will live and work in peace and contentment.










Article: Yuan Shu-zhen, Zeng Qian-yu, Wu Xiu-ling/Report from Sri Lanka 2022/10/19

Gather All Our Power to Inspire Goodness—Distributions in Sri Lanka (part 1/2)

"Grandpa, we are sorry that we may not be able to include you in the distribution list this time!" Victoria Paranavithana, a Tzu Chi volunteer, found that grandfather Etin Signo, 88, who lives alone, was not eligible for this distribution.

Tzu Chi Grateful to Enthusiastic Volunteers in Florida, USA

On October 13th, when the Tzu Chi team came to a disaster-stricken area of Florida to survey the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, they met enthusiastic volunteers also coming, on their own, to assist the victims.

The Power of Education — Story of Ali in Türkiye

Syrian refugee boy Ali said: "When I was working, I used to daydream. I imagined that I was still studying and doing work, just as I was studying in school. I pretended that the factory was my school."

Hanna Finds New Home in Tzu Chi Warsaw, Poland

On the morning of February 24 this year, a phone call awoke Hanna Mankus. Instead of “Happy Birthday”, the voice at the other end urged her to escape as quickly as possible.

Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation conducts Preschool Character Education Program for Ukrainian Children in Poland

After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, many Ukrainian families with children were forced to leave their homes. Many came to Poland, where they had to start a new life: find housing, start working, or start studying. Some children have gone through traumatic experiences escaping the war, and many are scared and uncertain in their new environment. Seeing this, Tzu Chi volunteers proposed Tzu Chi’s character education program -- originally developed in the United States -- to assist the children in their healing and adaptation to their new situation.

 

Polish volunteers visit Tzu Chi Environmental Education Station in Taiwan

When Lukasz listened to how volunteers do plastic sorting, he was curious about the purpose of recycling. After the tour, he understood that all products have hidden love stories.

In Thailand, Tzu Chi Distributes Supplies to Those Affected by Floods

Thailand has recently been affected by large-scale flooding. Because of the disaster, poor families are suffering even more. With a shared goal of helping the needy, Tzu Chi volunteers prepared and delivered relief supplies to those affected as fast as they could.

In U.S., Tzu Chi Packs Warm Quilts for Ukrainians

Ukraine is about to enter a cold winter. A charitable donor in the Tzu Chi Headquarters in the United States provided 40 quilts. He wanted to help Ukrainian refugees whose homes were destroyed by the war, and he hoped that they would have a warm winter during this most difficult time. Let them know that they are not alone and there are kind people in the world who care and love them very much.