Hope in blue and white Compassion knows no bounderies

MANILA, Philippines – November 8 is a very memorable and important date for the members of the Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines. It marks the founding of the organization in the country and even more so, it is the day Super Typhoon Yolanda hit the country two years ago – an event that cemented the mission of the members of Tzu Chi in the Philippines.

“We went to Tacloban and Ormoc and we saw the city was devastated, full of debris and the people did not know what to do,” says Tzu Chi Foundation president/CEO Alfredo Li.

Under the guidance of Tzu Chi founder Master Cheng Yen, the foundation immediately implemented the Cash for Work program. Quickly assessing the situation, Li reported to their master that the minimum wage in the Philippines is P260 per day, but in the wake of the typhoon, prices had gone up excessively. “An egg, from P5 to P15; a kilo of rice from P30 plus to P100.” Because of this, Master Cheng Yen told her followers in the Philippines to offer P500 per day.

“The beauty of Cash for Work is it has three effects,” Li explains. First is the much-needed clean up of the city, which was left in ruins by the typhoon. Cash for Work also gives the beneficiaries the dignity of work – “they did not receive something for nothing.” Li adds, “Most important, we kick started the economy.”

At first, however, people were hesitant to join the program. “On the first day, we thought thousands would come, but only 610 people came,” says Li. When asked why, residents told them, “You are Chinese, you are Buddhist, we don’t know you.”

But, Tzu Chi members earned the trust of the people and showed them that they had only good intentions in helping them. The word spread and, Li says, the next day 2,500 people came; then 5,500 on the third day; 9,500 on the fourth; and 15,000 showed up on the fifth day. “They were coming from all over – Sta. Fe, Palo, Tanauan, Tolosa, even Samar.”

The turnout was overwhelming, perhaps more than they could handle, says Li. But their master advised, “Accept all of them.” Li shares, “We reached 34,000 a day.”

The members were also able to enlist the support of their connections from mining and construction companies to provide 54 dump trucks, payloaders and backhoes to help in the clean-up.

“Working together, the clean-up was done in 19 days,” says Li.

After their initial support with the Cash for Work program, Tzu Chi realized that the people of Leyte had more needs. They were getting sick because of the heavy rains and scorching heat, as many remained roofless. Tzu Chi moved on to their next project, concentrating on housing for the thousands of displaced families. Included in their midterm goals is finishing the construction of shelters, offering livelihood programs to residents and building schools.

“Education cannot wait,” says Li. In the months following Yolanda, Tzu Chi built almost 500 temporary classrooms in Leyte and Bohol.

Their shelters are pre-fabricated structures made of steel, with roofing and walls made of specialty plastic with insulation, says Li. “We believe it will last more than ten years.”

In Palo, Tzu Chi constructed 255 shelters on a 3.3-hectare land given by the mayor. In Ormoc, the mayor gave 50 hectares, good for 2,000 units, which are currently under construction.

Construction will also be done in Kanaga and Tacloban. All in all, Tzu Chi will build some 3,000 homes, says Li.

This ambitious goal is made possible by many donors, not all of them Tzu Chi members, who recognize the work that the foundation is doing. For example, Carlos Chan of Oishi Foods committed P100 million to build 1,000 homes, with over 800 homes already finished in Ormoc and another 255 in Palo.

Li says one of the unique aspects of the shelter-building program is that they do not employ a subcontractor. “We are the ones running the construction,” together with beneficiaries who are under another Cash for Work program. “They are building their own homes.”

Through Tzu Chi’s brand of involvement, the volunteers – who pay their own way when they go on missions and earn their own keep – interact very closely with the beneficiaries, working side by side to rebuild their shelters and schools. “When we give them our donations, we bow to them and hug them,” says Henry Yunez of Tzu Chi. “It is our way of showing them we are here and we care for them.” Their close involvement with the people they are helping yielded many memorable experiences for volunteers and beneficiaries alike.

Li recalls the honesty of the people they were helping despite their dire need. “When we gave cash assistance for shelter, we were wrong many times.” But, whenever they would give more than the assigned amount per family, the beneficiaries would return the money. “After the disaster, the people needed the money very much, but they were willing to give it back. That shows the best in our Filipino culture. I can’t forget that kind of honesty.”

James Chua, who is in charge of Tzu Chi Foundation’s efforts in Bohol, says that he will always be touched by the gratitude shown by the beneficiaries there. Only a few weeks before Yolanda, a 7.2 earthquake hit Bohol, which was responded to immediately by Tzu Chi volunteers. Despite having to divide their attention, resources and manpower when relief efforts had to be done in Leyte, they made sure not to forget about those in need in Bohol.

Chua says he was touched by the bayanihan spirit shown by the people of Bohol as they rebuilt their homes with the Tzu Chi volunteers. Survivors in Bohol also collected coins for the foundation which, in the end, amounted to P700,000. “This is the power of good hearts coming together,” he says, sharing a saying of Master Cheng Yen on how one drop of water, when mixed with the sea cannot be separated from the rest. “Donating is not only for the rich. Even the smallest amount counts and they were all willing to help.”

This help is not only in the form of financial donations. Tzu Chi Singapore, for example, will partner with Tzu Chi Philippines to adopt Leyte for a continuing medical mission, particularly for cataract surgery. Li explains they found out that so many people are practically blind because of cataract in both eyes, but they do not have the means or accessibility to get the surgery.

Tzu Chi’s presence has truly made a mark in the various places they have been helping. “When you are wearing the Tzu Chi uniform in Tacloban, if there is a motorcycle that passes, you will see it stop and come back and the driver will say ‘Thank you, Tzu Chi.’”

The blue and white uniforms now serve as a symbol of hope and compassion for the people of Leyte. “I prayed that God would send us some people to rebuild this church. Tzu Chi has extended that love and compassion,” says Monsignor Alex Opiniano of Sto. Niño Church, which was reconstructed with the help of Tzu Chi. Li met the parish priest while waiting for a delayed flight out of Leyte. The priest said they were still raising funds for the reconstruction of their church and Li brought up this concern to the Tzu Chi leadership. “Master Chen Yen said, ‘Filipinos are Catholic. At this time they need their spirituality.’” And so, the Buddhist group supported the reconstruction of the Catholic church. “Religion need not compete, religion can cooperate,” says Li. “We must help regardless of religion and nationality.”

This November, the Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines will once again celebrate their anniversary in Leyte with the move in of 558 families to their finished shelters in Ormoc.

They continue to work on their long term goals of finishing 2,000 units in Leyte by next year.

“We are not just giving them houses, we are not just giving them jobs, but we are uplifting their dignity,” says Li. “We are able to imbue in them a sense of dignity, a sense of the future.”

When asked how long Tzu Chi plans to stay in Leyte, Li says without hesitation, “Forever. We’ll be there because there will be local volunteers and we will train them. Master Cheng Yen said, ‘Tzu Chi is wherever we bring goodness.’ As long as there are sick, poor, those in need of education and jobs, Tzu Chi will be there.”

What is Tzu Chi?

The Tzu Chi Foundation was founded in 1966 in Hualien, Taiwan by a female monk called Master Cheng Yen. Starting with the support of 30 housewives contributing a few cents a day and a home-based effort making and selling baby shoes, the Tzu Chi Foundation now brings in millions of dollars in donations through its foundations in nearly 50 countries all over the world.

Tzu Chi practices “socially-engaged Buddhism,” which calls for Buddhists to actively engage in improving society rather than just seeking personal spiritual enlightenment. The foundation runs international emergency relief operations and long-term aid programs.

The foundation has hardly any paid staff, but thousands of volunteers – in Taiwan alone, there are around 100,000 full and part-time volunteers – give some, or all, of their time to foundation work. They are expected to pay all their own expenses, even when they go overseas on mission work. This enables the foundation to have minimal overhead, which is one reason they attract support from so many international business people.

Tzu Chi volunteers work all over the world – from providing free medical care to distributing emergency supplies in places ravaged by natural and man-made disasters. Their volunteers were among the first on the scene during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Typhoon Nargis in Myanmar, the earthquake in Nepal and Super Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines.

Tzu Chi’s relief work is based on the principle of “direct giving” – they do not simply send rice or canned food but, where possible, volunteers prepare and serve hot food to people in need, on the principle of maintaining the dignity of victims of natural disasters.

Tzu Chi also emphasizes environmental stewardship. It has one of the most efficient recycling operations in Taiwan, and produces blankets for disaster victims as well as clothing out of recycled PET bottles.