20141109海燕周年‧助人惜物The First Anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda)
Yesterday was Nov. 8, making the first anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines.
On this day one year ago, this typhoon brought winds, heavy rain, and a sudden, massive storm surge, which almost destroyed coastal cities in its path. Afterwards, the local government announced their plan to cease further work in recovery, which essentially meant they were giving up on the cities. Thank goodness Tzu Chi volunteers went there immediately for disaster relief and stayed there for weeks to support the survivors struggling to survive and to give them the encouragement and strength to rebuild their own city.
To give them earnings, Tzu Chi launched a cash aid livelihood program and cleanup drive. In the beginning, they would find at least 20 bodies each day among the debris. The bodies were badly decomposed and beyond recognition, so there was a constant stench in the air.
From that stench, we should gain insight into the Buddha’s teachings that the human body is in fact very unclean and that natural disasters strike all equally, rich and poor. Their karma led them to be in the destructive path of this typhoon. The disaster has now passed.
Memorials for the first anniversary were held in the Philippines yesterday. We also see that the secretary of the Department of Interior visited the prefabricated houses that Tzu Chi is building.
Any septic system in the house or in the common?
One for every eight houses.
From the smiles of the residents, we can feel that the house is designed with consideration to the would-be owners. They will have a real home soon. Parents will have their own room. Children will have separate rooms. The floor is also thoughtfully paved with cement bricks.
After these prefabricated houses are completed, there will be neat rows of houses. They are duplex houses with good air ventilation and are sturdily built.
Thanks to the Mayor of Ormoc City providing 120 acres of land to Tzu Chi, Tzu Chi is able to help build these prefabricated houses for the local residents for them to have a home to live in for the next several years.
When Tzu Chi planned this project, they really took into consideration the residents’ needs. We see compassion in every detail. I want to let the Philippine people know what Tzu Chi did for the city of Ormoc because volunteers give of themselves completely. When my fellow citizens learned of this non-profit organization that is dedicated to help them, they were very happy.
While the houses are being constructed, Tzu Chi provided earnings to the survivors through our cash aid livelihood program so that everyone, both adults and children, can participate in the work and earn money to support their families as well as to build their own houses themselves. I am very touched to see this.
I am grateful to Tzu Chi volunteers around the world for their love and the efforts they have made in this disaster relief. Pooling together all their contributions, we were able to help revitalize the cities that had been devastated by Haiyan (Yoland) and provide housing to a large group of survivors. All these were made possible by the donations of everyone. It has been one year after the disaster.
We see that the survivors have opened their minds to overcome the disaster and are smiling again. Many have signed up to be volunteers and thousands of them are undergoing volunteer training.
Such are living bodhisattvas, who arise amidst hardship to go on with their life and remember well the suffering in life. These new volunteers are learning to be bodhisattvas now. There are so many people in suffering, including in Jordan. Currently, there are many people from Iraq and Syria feeling to Jordan to seek refuge there.
Starting 14 years ago, Tzu Chi has been carrying out charity work in Jordan. Whenever there are refugees coming into Jordan in need of help, JiHui and other local Tzu Chi volunteers will drive hundreds of kilometers through the desert to provide care and aid to them. For the past 14 years, they have never failed to deliver the aid they’d promised to deliver.
Now that the rice from Taiwan has arrived in Jordan, volunteers are starting to distribute the rice to refugees at the refugee camps and to the local poor people whom they have been caring for the past more than 10 years. What they do there is truly remarkable. We really have to be mindful in making use of our time well to live out the full value of our life.
We see a 92-year-old volunteer, Yu-lian. Every morning, she begins recycling work very early at 5 a.m. She is the first one to arrive and opens the door to Tzu Chi’s recycling station. See, she works from early morning until 3 or 4 p.m. in the recycling station.
You’re not tired?
No, I find this interesting, and I like doing this.
That’s right, we have to develop interest and liking to doing good deeds. Otherwise, we would be living our life emptily as we grow old.
She is already 92 years old, but she listens to my morning Dharma talk and does recycling with agility. Her son is puzzled by this. She has trouble holding chopsticks as she has no strength to hold it steadily. But she can use scissors to cut out labels on plastic bags.
You see, as long as she likes doing it, she will find the strength to do it. When you willingly do good deeds, you will reap joy from it.
I am truly grateful to all of Tzu Chi’s recycling volunteers. Look at how happy and healthy they are doing recycling. What they are doing is good for our environment and for mankind. If we do not do recycling quickly …a recent UN IPCC report on climate change found that if we keep on living our life as is, climate change will soon be irreversible and will have widespread impact on humans.
Therefore, the report urges major countries to cut down their carbon emissions sharply and fast. To achieve this, everyone has to start doing recycling and cut down on the use of goods, which creates pollution and consumes excessive resources. We need to act now, and we need everyone to respond to make a difference.
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