Along with bags of rice and other foods, we are grateful for all of the new volunteers who helped us distribute these critical relief goods to those struggling ever since August’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

One recipient, Guy Mary Emanuel, gave us his salute and said “this food will help for a while.”

While the team prepared for disaster relief in Hatay, 2,620 blankets ordered by the Earthquake Relief Team also arrived at El Menahil International School in Istanbul. Distribution will begin on Friday and Saturday.

As relief and rescue operations across the region continued, Tzu Chi Turkey & the Tzu Chi Earthquake Relief Team made advances toward helping earthquake survivors. Each act of kindness, no matter how small, was one step closer to helping survivors rebuild their lives. 

Meanwhile, volunteers in Pahang have also been conducting disaster surveys and extending care to flood victims on the East Coast.

Following the compilation of the victim name list in early January 2022, Tzu Chi has planned for 77 sessions of cash relief distribution for an estimated 16,000 affected families from 58 flood-stricken areas in KL, Selangor and Pahang.

First, a brutal 10-year civil war, and then Ebola: Sierra Leone has borne the brunt of daunting tragedy in the last quarter-century. Tzu Chi has been providing aid here since 2015, distributing food, beds, blankets and shoes across this beleaguered West African nation, now finally on a path to recovery.  

Their itinerary began in Freetown, with a visit to the Allen Town Interim Care Center and School, where Tzu Chi donated shoes to the children.

The establishment of a small contact office in 2008 led to an increase in community service activities, focusing on individual relief cases and disaster relief distributions. In 2012, the Service Center was formally established on Ninth Street in Chinatown, Philadelphia, and provides a variety of services to nearby communities.

Since 2007, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation has been assisting eligible taxpayers across the United States file their annual income tax through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Tzu Chi Boston is part of the Tzu Chi Foundation whose mission is to provide care and services to the community members in Massachusetts while incorporating Tzu Chi’s teaching of kindness.

Programs:

​Tzu Chi USA Scholars is a scholarship program funded by Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation to recognize and provide financial assistance to outstanding college-bound high school graduates and continuing undergraduate students in selected areas of the United States.

Study Group 

Every other week, the Tzu Chings and Alumni hold a study group to discuss various topics relating to life as well as dharma. ​

Movie night 

During movie nights we enjoy movies in the company of awesome young volunteers and some delicious food and indulge in some fruitful conversations about the movies and how it impacts our lives.

Community Servings 

Once a month, Tzu Chings and Alumni volunteer at Community Servings, a not-for-profit food and nutrition program that provides services throughout MA to individuals and families living with critical and chronic illnesses.​

Haley House 

Once a month, Tzu Ching and Alumni volunteer at the Haley House, which is a cafe that provides opportunities for volunteers to bake with the transitional employment staff and have therapeutic discussions. 

Nursing Home Visit 

Nursing home visit is a regularly Boston Tzu Chi charity event, happening once every two months. Volunteers and Tzu Chiers will accompany the elderly to enjoy a wonderful Saturday afternoon. There are various kinds of performance and interacting games during the event, such as Tzu Chi New Year Blessing Ceremony, Buddha Bathing Ceremony, sign language performance, breathing and stretching exercises and do on. The most touching moment of the day is to see the happy faces on the elderly. 

Tzu Chi represents one of Taiwan's four major Buddhist sects, and it's Still Thought Hall, located on Zhongyang Road in Hualien, includes a medical center, a temple, and a university.

The Tzu Chi Medical Humanities began with the Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital and extend to the Yuli, Kuanshan, Dalin, Taipei, Taichung, Douliou Tzu Chi Hospitals and Suzhou Clinic, China. These Tzu Chi medical institutions all uphold the same mission, to “guard life, health, and love”. 

Recycling:

Tzu Chi volunteers will first clean and sort the recyclables by material. If the recyclables cannot be used again, the volunteers will sell them to professional recyclers. For recyclables that can still be used, they will make the best of them.

n the spirit of the ancient Chinese motto, "Love Our Elderly as well as Other's", Tzu Chi Canada volunteers respect and care about the elderly in the communities.  Started in 1992 with the nursing homes in Vancouver, Little Mountain Place and Villa Cathay Care Home, Tzu Chi volunteers made regular visits and served according to the needs of seniors. Smiles are friendship bridges that open the hearts of the elderly!  Tzu Chi volunteers are now serving, nonstop, a total of 36 nursing homes, cheering up the elderly like their own.

For the past 22 years, Tzu Chi has contributed over $2 million CAD to 55 distinct charitable projects to support low-income families, single mothers, living-alone seniors, battered women, the homeless, and patients in the addiction rehab centers in local communities. In order to supplement basic daily necessities to the less fortunate ones, Tzu Chi volunteers dedicated themselves in community services such as helping Food Bank distributions, visiting low-income families to deliver Christmas hampers, cooking and serving meals for homeless friends, and donating clothing and daily necessities to the needy through winter relief distribution. In addition, volunteers also assisted mentally challenged and the handicapped children in therapeutic horse-riding, and spend time with the cerebral palsy and the mentally challenged patients in Joy Care Center in Coquitlam, B.C.

Tzu Chi in Tijuana is a beacon of hope and compassion in the region. Our organization, dedicated to humanitarian service, tirelessly works to improve the quality of life for the people in Tijuana and its surroundings.

Some programs:

DISASTER RELIEF IN MEXICO

MEDICAL

DIABETES PREVENTION AND TREATMENT COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH

DENTAL/ DIABETES

LMTC DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY

EYE SURGERY CENTER

At noon on October 11th, 2022, the Tzu Chi South El Monte Health Center welcomed a group of special guests. Myanmar Monks from all corners of America and the world visited the Center for free and holistic medical care provided by Tzu Chi’s dedicated staff and volunteers. Dr. Lin said: “Due to lack of proper health care and maintenance, most monks have eye issues. They experienced nasolacrimal duct obstruction, conditions with blurry visions, inflammation of the conjunctiva or lacrimal sac, or even the phenomenon of inverted eyelashes, which significantly affect their daily lives. Tzu Chi South El Monte Health Center provided free eye drops and other eye medicine for them, and free optometry as well as glass-making services. By offering preventive treatment ahead of time, we can prevent these small issues from accumulating into big problems.”

Refugees in Malaysia face many difficulties. Their children cannot attend regular schools, and, without permits to work legally, they are often exploited. They have no choice but to do “3D jobs”: difficult, dangerous, and dirty, the three dimensions of refugees’ work. One might also add a fourth dimension: diminutive — in salary. As a result, refugees are generally malnourished, and when they fall ill, they often suffer through it without seeking medical care because they can’t afford it. They also avoid seeing a doctor because they are afraid of getting caught by the police.

Early one morning, people formed a line in front of a building on Pudu Road, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. They were waiting for the Buddhist Tzu Chi Free Clinic to open for the day. Though there were refugees from the Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, and Africa, most were from Myanmar. The clinic is open six days a week, closed only on Saturdays. On average, 150 patients a day are treated there.

Tzu Chi volunteers also provide disaster relief in many regions in the UK which were affected by the flood.

In 2010, a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused many passengers to be grounded in Heathrow Airport. Tzu Chi volunteers provided food and water to the passengers.

• Mission Focus: Medical aid, education, and disaster relief.

• Recent Efforts: Post-earthquake reconstruction and support, including building schools and providing healthcare services.

More than 11 years after one of the worst earthquake’s in Haiti’s history, a 7.2 magnitude quake struck again in the country’s southwest on August 14, 2021. The number of confirmed dead and missing are continuing to rise. As recovery efforts are underway, the ongoing threat of COVID-19, socio-political unrest, and catastrophic weather events including hurricanes, tropical storms, and flash floods looms overhead. Despite all this, Tzu Chi is committed to help

• Mission Focus: Disaster relief, medical aid, and educational support.

• Recent Efforts: Response to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis with emergency supplies, medical camps, and rebuilding of homes.

• Mission Focus: Healthcare, education, and sustainable agricultural development.

• Recent Efforts: On 2020, Tzu Chi Foundation - Taiwan donated 50,000 face masks to the Kenya Red Cross. These masks will be used by frontline health workers.

  We thank Tzu Chi Foundation for this donation.

• Mission Focus: Environmental sustainability and community support.

• Recent Efforts:On October 22, Tzu Chi volunteers in Melbourne started a second survey of disaster relief, and went door-to-door to invite those affected to the distribution on November 26.

  
  

  The state of Victoria in Australia was affected by low pressure. It rained continuously for several days from October 13, which caused flooding in many areas. Roads were completely submerged and residential areas covered with flood. After the waters receded, mud and rubbish were left on the ground.

  In groups, volunteers from the Tzu Chi Melbourne Service Center took the initiative to help. They went many times to Maribynong, the hardest-hit area, to survey the disaster. Going along the streets, they assisted in cleaning, visited and cared for the affected households and sent them invitations for the distribution.

• Mission Focus: Emergency relief and refugee support.

• Recent Efforts: Since February 2022, millions of people have fled Ukraine to seek refuge in neighboring countries, including Poland, Moldova, and Romania. Most have minimal items and resources to make a new life for themselves and their loved ones.

  To help them get through this difficult period, Tzu Chi is hosting distributions to provide emergency financial support and emergency items. As of February 4, 2023, there have been:

  
  

• 364 shopping cards

• 24,995 (used at Biedronka supermarket)

  shopping cards

• 13,999 (Sodexo Cards Distributed)

  USD given in aid

• $13,992,461

   ($63,739,000 PLN, or Polish złoty)

• 81,308 people who have benefitted

• blankets 40,137

• Multigrain Biscuits 12,000

In the aftermath, TIMA members swiftly rendered aid in Sri Lanka, distributing relief supplies and holding free clinics for the injured and sick.

• built 296 house-style tents

• distributed 1196.61 tons of rice and other supplies

• treated 27,072 patients

Many locals joined the ranks of volunteers, bringing care and comfort to the affected.

In addition, Tzu Chi built permanent housing for those who lost their homes in the disaster and constructed a secondary school in Hambantota, a hard hit area.

• built a 649-residential-unit Great Love Village for survivors

• built a new school called Tzu Chi National School

It also established offices in Hambantota and Colombo, which recruit volunteers to carry out charity work locally.

Half of these refugees were innocent children, and Turkey alone received about a million refugees.

Tzu Chi volunteers from Europe, Jordan, and Turkey provided daily necessities, medical care, educational assistance, and emotional support to suffering refugee families after conducting prior evaluations of their most urgent needs.

In particular, Tzu Chi volunteers in Turkey provided educational opportunities for refugee children (see the photo), with the hope that education could empower them and help resolve their underlying resentment as a result of being exposed to violent trauma at such a young age.

Tzu Chi volunteers arrived at the disaster zone within 50 hours after the earthquake struck, and a TIMA team served the sick and injured for 108 days.

Subsequently, Tzu Chi rebuilt 13 schools, 91 homes, and established two community service centres.

In 2011, all the 13 schools were operationally ready, with spacious and bright classrooms, and the children no longer had to endure the elements while attending classes.

In the immediate aftermath, local Tzu Chi volunteers mobilised to distribute food and water to those affected and give them comfort.

At daybreak, volunteers from other parts of Taiwan arrived at the disaster area to distribute emergency cash aid to affected families.

Besides providing emergency aid and emotional support, Tzu Chi also built temporary housing for quake survivors, and rebuilt a total of 51 schools destroyed in the disaster.

The three-stage relief efforts helped the Foundation to establish a complete humanitarian aid model.

1. addressing the emergencies, providing hot meals, emergency funds and supplies

2. building temporary housing for the victims

3. door-to-door visit and care, understanding the extent of damage to each household to inform future case-based assistance

Despite the immense difficulties that were borne out of the disaster, the typhoon awakened the hearts and minds of people to volunteer, with around 13,500 residents attending the Tzu Chi Volunteer's Seminar in January 2014, with 54 training volunteers donning a collared grey shirt and Tzu Chi caps.

Other support from Tzu Chi in the Philippines and globally include 190 pre-fabricated classrooms, 129000 sacks of rice for neighboring towns and 3000 prefabricated shelters for Ormoc, Palo and Tacloban.

The Tzu Chi members in Guatemala practice Master Cheng Yen's teaching of "Love what I love" and personally go to places in need to bring solace to suffering beings. The face-to-face distribution, the act of giving with gratitude, respect, and love truly reflects the sincerity of the volunteers. The significance of the donation ceremony goes beyond words. Throughout the process, the volunteers complemented and cooperated with each other, completing the mission of helping others harmoniously. The light of great love shines upon overseas regions.

Facing challenges such as securing land and machinery, volunteers received support from a local church; it generously provided free access to a vast area of land. Although manpower for well-digging was readily available, the scarcity of a suitable plowing machine delayed the cultivation process. Determined to overcome this obstacle, volunteers decided to plow the land manually.

Striving to deliver timely relief to disaster survivors in Syria, Tzu Chi volunteers navigated challenges with determined hearts, and now, progress has been achieved. 

The Camel Textile Co. Ltd in Karak, Jordan, has generously produced and donated garments and blankets to Tzu Chi Jordan for distribution. 

An agreement between the Syrian and Jordanian governments states that international humanitarian assistance may only be transported into Syria via army personnel. After much mediation, Tzu Chi Jordan and its long-time partners with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO) joined hands to deliver the supplies to its border warehouse, to be entrusted to the Jordanian army for transport to the Syrian border.

On February 28, the first batch of these supplies was delivered to Syria. It was only a short ten-minute drive from the warehouse to the border, but to volunteers, it felt as though it was a groundbreaking step in Tzu Chi’s disaster relief efforts.

Site: https://tzuchicenter.org/global/menahil-promise/origins

• Activate – Seniors staying connected with the community

• Engage – Seniors curating shared experiences and fostering camaraderie

• Empower – Seniors forming self-help and cross-care groups

• Safeguard – Seniors staying healthy physically and socio-psychologically

SEEN offers various programmes and services in accordance with these four mandates that enhance the wellbeing of seniors and eventually inspire them to undertake charity work for the betterment of their nation and the world.

"[T]he volunteers do their best to help ease the situation. Along with providing a hot cup of coffee, they hand over buckets filled with blankets, socks, hand warmers, and toiletries. May this gesture bring warmth to help them survive these harsh winter conditions." (Quoted from Tzu Chi Global)

Read here: https://reliefweb.int/report/iran-islamic-republic/iran-tzu-chi-rebuilding-five-schools-quake-stricken-bam

BTCF partnered with five other organizations and overcame logistical challenges to ensure successful deliveries. They also expressed gratitude to Airlink for transporting aid materials into Pakistan.

After the disaster damage assessment, 60 Tzu Chi volunteers had returned to Kangkar Tebrau. Divided into four teams taking different routes, they delivered aid supplies and blankets to the residents in need.

The local tzu chi group here in our island province has done various projects. Most notable of all was during their relief operations and aid during the 7.3 magnitude earthquake last 2013. In particular, inside various schools in strategic locations they have erected temporary rooms where students and teachers held their classes for the meantime.

Furthermore, they continue to support students here in Bohol by giving out scholarships.

From March 15 to 17, Tzu Chi volunteers rode motorcycles or pushed carts on muddy roads to transport supplies. They went into hard-hit areas like Chigojo, Machinjiri, and Tavera, surveyed the damages, and gave food to those affected. As in post-disaster reconstruction, the "Brick House Reconstruction Project" was launched to rebuild 177 brick houses in fifteen villages in Blantyre and provide shelter for the affected residents.

On April 30, Tzu Chi volunteers Yachi Yuan (袁亞棋) and Frank Zhu (朱恆民) from South Africa, along with local leaders, went to the Machinjiri market to learn about materials for rebuilding houses. They checked the quality and prices of doors, windows, and wood, to choose strong materials for the reconstruction.