20151031多管齊下濟蒼生 Helping Those in Need Around the World
聲音來源巴基斯坦難民：今天我們一家16個人，都一起來看診。
聯合國難民署官員Katsunori Koike：
能為難民舉辦義診真是太好了，提供無的診療面面俱到，希望這樣的義診，以後也都能順利進行。
In Thailand, Tzu Chi Has been providing monthly free clinic for almost a year. Tzu Chi partner with the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and the U.S. Embassy in Thailand for this medical outreach. Tzu Chi holds free medical services for refugees from various countries monthly at the same time, same date and at the same place. There are so many refugees needed the services.
They are from different countries, different races, and speak different languages. Some of them entered the country illegally. We are worried that there are many refugees who are sick but are afraid to seek for help. Although volunteers reach out and tell refugees to come for treatment when they’re ill, they are still afraid of being caught and deported.
Therefore, when preparing for each free clinic, Tzu Chi volunteers in Thailand always work very hard. They have to notify local police in advance and ask them not to come for undocumented residents. Volunteers ask the police to view the free clinic with humanitarian spirit. To conduct a free clinic is truly not easy.
Although doctor all gathered in one place, patients and doctors speak different languages. Through the translation of their local language into English and them into Thai, with the help of multiple translations using several languages, patients were able to talk to the doctors. Volunteers told me that, one time, they used as many as 27 languages in a free clinic. I feel that they are very wonderful to have so many talents.
I am surprise that they have volunteers speaking so many languages at the free clinic to help patients. The free clinic is conducted monthly. I am very touched and grateful for their dedication. For a long time, Tzu Chi volunteers in Thailand have tried to spread Tzu Chi, but due to language barrier, their efforts have not inspired many volunteers. However, volunteers are very committed to the Tzu Chi path.
They show this in their recent undertaking of regular free clinic for refugees in Thailand, as commissioned by a refugee agency. This is truly a very heavy responsibility but volunteers are happy to take it on. I am very grateful. Yes, they are happy to serve. We all come to this world to live a valuable life by happily taking on the responsibility to serve the public.
We saw that in Texas, U.S., heavy rain yesterday created severe flooding in the area. Another news of natural disaster is the severe drought I NIngxia, China; there is no rainfall and hence no vegetation. This is the result of drastic climate changes. Currently, the residents are being helped to relocate to other areas. In other parts of the world we see indigenous flowers in Chile suddenly blooming in the Atacama Desert!
They sprouted all of a sudden and swayed in the wind. From this we see that our world is truly unpredictable, so we should wholeheartedly seize every chance we got to help others, and to alleviate the suffering of others. We should inspire more people to volunteer.
Yesterday, volunteers from the Philippines came to share their three day free clinic in Tacloban. A large group of over 140 medical professionals from Singapore travelled to Tacloban. From manila, there were over 100 medical professionals. In total, a team of more than 400 volunteers went to serve the free clinic in Tacloban. The estimated to serve 3, 5000 patients, but ended up serving more than 5,000 patients.
For patients needing operation the facility in a local hospital to conduct major surgeries. All in all, love extends to all places, far or near. Volunteers even travelled afar to provide medical care. In Tacloban, people’s mentality has improved. Now, locals learned to care for and interact with one another with love. If an outsider like Tzu Chi can love them, the locals feel that they must love and respect themselves.
This inspires them to volunteer to help their fellow residents. However, while they were helping out at the free clinic, Typhoon Koppu (Lando) made a landfall north of Manila, in Luzon. After if made landfall, it moved very slowly on land and devastated northern Luzon for two days. Northern Luzon is a rice growing region. Now, farmlands there are flooded, and poor farmers suffer unspeakably.
After the free clinic in Tacloban ended on the 24th, volunteers in the Philippines returned to Manila on the 25th. Next day on the 26th, they drove for around four hours to reach the disaster area in Northern Luzon. Volunteers who went all have a lot of disaster relief experience. After they arrived, they immediately divided into groups and surveyed the disaster at areas.
They saw the typhoon’s devastation. Farmers are truly in unbearable suffering with their livelihood destroyed. Tzu Chi quickly carried out a cash aid livelihood program for residents, paying them cash to clean up the disaster areas. Of course, there are a lot of details involved. Their priority is to clean up schools. For many consecutive days, close to 4,000 participants gathered together and concentrated their efforts to clean up.
Volunteers never stop in their services. After they finished the initial disaster relief, they come to Hualien to share with me their direction for future relief. I think their plan is sound as they are experienced and have the correct direction. They will immediately follow up with distribution of crop seeds to farmers. They also plan to build the survivors a home to live safely in.
Distribution of food aid is also planned. This is their relief plan to in response to Typhoon Koppu (Lando). In summary, we see many people in suffering every day, which can happen in any country. In Myanmar, Tzu Chi volunteers also continue to distribute rice seeds. At this moment, in many countries around the world, Tzu Chi volunteers serve people in hardship through aid programs.
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