20131208恆求善事益眾生One Month after Typhoon Haiyan: The Moving Results of Love
It has been one month since Typhoon Haiyan Yolanda struck the Philippines. One month ago, on November 8, Haiyan Yolanda made landfall in central Philippines, causing massive devastation.
At that time, there was a group of Philippine volunteers who returned to Taiwan for their certification ceremony. The head of Tzu Chi Philippines and other leading volunteers accompanied them, so they were in Taiwan. After they received the news of the typhoon disaster in central Philippines, they were very worried. So, they ended their Taiwan trip early and quickly returned to the Philippines for disaster relief.
After overcoming many difficulties due to damaged transportation systems, they finally reached the disaster area. They started reporting back disaster information gathered firsthand for us to understand the latest situation there.
In Leyte, our relief effort started in Ormoc City, where our Philippine Tzu Chi volunteers and medical volunteers for TIMA distributed material aid, conducted free clinics, and gave comfort and care to the disaster survivors. Then we mobilized TIMA members in Taiwan as well as personnel from our Tzu Chi hospitals for a relief mission.
They had to quickly make the necessary arrangements to join our Tzu Chi volunteers. Forming a big relief team, they went to Philippines to serve in the disaster area. There, they felt and shared in the survivors’ pain and suffering, but they brought forth the compassion and wisdom of a bodhisattva to comfort and encourage the survivors and help uplift their spirits, set aside their grief and pain and gather their strength to rebuild their lives. This is really no easy thing for the survivors.
But, we see that the local survivors are able to draw strength and inspiration from their sense of gratitude to give their efforts to the cleanup. They are already rebuilding their homes. Because such a big area needs cleanup and large numbers are participating, we hoped to develop team leaders among the survivors participating in our cash-for-work program. So, we shared with them our values in Tzu Chi, such as our sincere intention of love.
Every day, before the cleanup started, our Tzu Chi volunteers first gathered everyone and explained that their cash aid comes from the pooling together of many small donations. We told them how Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide are collecting the loving contributions of many, many people across the world who wish to send their care to them.
We want them to know everyone is working to help them, not only the Tzu Chi volunteers serving in the disaster area who share in their pain and go there to be with them and work alongside them in the recovery.
We really saw the survivors’ spirits being lifted by this as they set aside their pain and contributed their efforts to rebuild their community. We can now see people’s lives in the disaster area returning to normal.
My goods are selling very well. Many people are buying. Those who are in Tzu Chi’s cash-for-work program will come here to buy things.
My business is very good because many people’s finances have improved. It’s because of Tzu Chi aid that my goods are selling very well. Because of Tzu Chi, people are revitalized.
Such a bustling scene now is indeed drastically different from a month ago when
Typhoon Haiyan Yolanda made landfall. This scene is also very different from yesterday’s and each day prior. From the very beginning to now, what a radical change.
I am truly grateful to our volunteers in the Philippines for quickly starting the relief work by amassing strength from wealthy entrepreneurs as well as other local volunteers who originally were participants of our cash-for-work program in Marikina City and were once a typhoon survivor too.
Through their participation in Tzu Chi, through the years, they’ve come to rise above poverty as their hearts became rich with love and full of spiritual riches. This time, dozens of them also went to the disaster area to help.
I see how Dharma Master Cheng Yen looks after us Filipinos, whether it’s volunteers or other people. Thank you, Master, for taking care of us volunteers and for all your help to the people of the Philippines.
I tell the residents of Tacloban, “it’s better to give than to receive. I tell them to save money every day to help others. The locals ask us to notify them if we are to hold a volunteer training in Tacloban.
In our cash-for-work program, the number of participants increased from 600 people to 10,000, 20,000, and then to over 30,000 people. In such a massive cash-for-work program, we really need local people to serve as team leaders, who can communicate fluently in their language, to help lead the cleanup effort.
When the participants in our cash-for-work program, who have been affected by disaster, saw the selfless Great Love of our Tzu Chi volunteers, they were very touched. How can strangers who are not related to them come to the disaster area and endure hardship to help them, such as sleeping on the floor among the debris?
So, they were very touched and willingly took up the responsibility of being a team leader to help lead the cleanup work in the community.
I’m also very grateful that our instant rice can provide nutritious meals and give them the energy they needed for work. Also, our water-purifying machines have arrived in Tacloban to provide clean drinking water.
I’m also grateful that our temporary classrooms are able to provide a place for the students to study in. We see the children smile with happiness in their new classroom. Such is the power of love that brings truly very touching results. Now, one month after the disaster, we have come to a point near the end of our relief phase and cash-for-work program. I am truly very grateful.
Seeing their suffering alleviated is very moving. Such relieving of suffering was possible because living bodhisattvas went there to help, with many giving support by raising funds. Already, people in 38 countries and regions are giving and pooling together donations to support the people in the Philippines.
We sincerely hope that this disaster can quickly pass and that the sorrow and trauma it created can quickly leave the survivors’ hearts so that with uplifted spirits, they can find renewed hope and bring forth their energy and strength to rebuild their homes.
This is all Tzu Chi volunteers hope for. In giving, we seek nothing. We only hope to see them revitalized and able to rebuild their lives.
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