Tzu Chi’s Relief Team ‘helps Haiti with Love’
By Terry Miller
Published: Friday, January 15th, 2010
Tzu Chi’s relief team is on standby. At least 350,000 packs of instant rice, 500,000 packs of corn powder and other relief goods have been prepared for shipment as of January 14. Nationwide fundraisers will be held on January 16, 17, 23 and 24
(San Dimas, CA) Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center was established immediately after the earthquake struck Haiti. The Coordination Center has identified three areas of focus for Tzu Chi’s immediate relief work in Haiti: 1) Relief aid distribution; 2) Medical assistance; 3) Global fundraising efforts. Tzu Chi’s relief team, including volunteers and doctors from the US and the Dominican Republic, are on standby along with large quantities of relief goods and medical supplies.
As of January 14, Tzu Chi global headquarters and Tzu Chi USA headquarters have prepared at least 350,000 packs of instant rice, 500,000 packs of corn powder, 20,000 eco-friendly blankets, 50,000 sets of eco-friendly utensils, as well as used clothing, medical kits, vitamins, ointments and other medical supplies. These relief goods are ready to be shipped and delivered as soon as a proper transportation route is being established. More relief goods are being prepared while the relief team is on standby.
There is a need of food, blankets, and medical aid in Haiti. Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA) previously developed instant rice for use during relief operations. Each pack of instant rice is ready to be served 40 minutes after pouring in cold water, or 20 minutes after pouring in hot water. In addition, corn powder can be mixed with either cold or hot water for use as a meal. TIHAA has also previously developed eco-friendly blankets, each made up of 70 recycled PET bottles (recycled by Tzu Chi recycling volunteers), which can help the survivors in Haiti since many survivors are sleeping on the streets. Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) has doctors and medical personnel, along with vitamins, ointments and other medical supplies, on standby, ready to enter in Haiti when possible.
As of January 14, there are no heavy machineries at the airport to lift goods or passable roads to transport goods into the city. With the prisoners in Port-au-Prince escaped out of the prison, and millions of survivors homeless and bodies all over the city, the situation in Haiti is not safe. Therefore, Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi Foundation, advised the Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center to focus on centralizing its efforts and paving a path for the upcoming relief work in the mean time. Master Cheng Yen also calls on everyone to “nurture our compassion in times of suffering, and challenge our wisdom in times of change.”
Tzu Chi global headquarters has initiated a global fundraising campaign to deliver the love from people around the globe to the survivors in Haiti. To kick off the global fundraising campaign, on January 16, 17, 23 and 24, Tzu Chi volunteers in the US will be holding fundraisers throughout the nation. Depending on the weather in each city, the location of fundraisers may vary. Please contact your local Tzu Chi office for more information.
Please continue to deliver your kind thoughts or pray for the people in Haiti and invite your families and friends to do the same. Tzu Chi will help to deliver your love directly to the hands of the survivors in Haiti. Your donation of any amount will go a long way to help the suffering people in Haiti; every cent of donation will go directly to the survivors in Haiti. Together, let us help Haiti with love!
To make a donation, please visit www.us.tzuchi.org , or call 1-888-989-8244 , or send your check to 1100 S. Valley Center Ave., San Dimas, CA 91773. (Your donation is tax deductible in the USA!)
Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 by Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen in Hualien, Taiwan. In over 40 years, Tzu Chi has grown to be an international humanitarian organization with over 5 million members in 47 countries, and has provided relief in 69 countries. The Foundation dedicates itself in the fields of charity, medicine, education, environmental protection, international relief work and the establishment of the world’s third largest marrow donor registry. It also promotes humanistic values and community volunteerism.
In 1989, Tzu Chi Foundation in the U.S. was established in California as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Since then, 62 local offices have been established with over 100,000 members in the U.S. working to make a difference in their local communities.
Tzu Chi has previously provided aid to Haiti in 1999, 2004 and 2009. In January 2009, Tzu Chi relief team traveled to Haiti to provide relief after the country was struck by numerous hurricanes in 2008. Tzu Chi volunteers from the US, Dominican Republic and St. Martin provided supplies such as rice, corn powder, cooking oil, sugar, salt, instant noodles, tarp, eco-friendly blankets, buckets (for food storage purpose), vitamins, dental kits and a set of portable dental equipment, benefiting 3,343 households in poverty areas in Port-au-Prince and Cite Soleil. There were also long-term plans for other charitable and medical assistance.
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