Free clinic services in Kern County, USA

Agricultural workers in Kern County, northern California, are mostly from Mexico and the Philippines. Their lives revolve around the harvest seasons, and they migrate from county to county, harvesting the crops. They move from Texas to Arizona to California, and then back to Texas every year. This is not an easy life. If the harvest is poor, their livelihood is affected. Therefore, on October 14 and 15, the Tzu Chi Medical Association in southern California held free clinics and distributions to assist 1,600 "nomadic farmers" in the cities of McFarland and Delano.

Job-training centers improve lives

In the past five years, Tzu Chi members in Durban, South Africa, have established more than 200 job-training centers in Kwazulu Natal province. These centers have trained more than 3,000 people in various skills, such as sewing and cooking. In October this year, students from five training centers in Foweni informed Tzu Chi volunteers that after finishing their sewing classes, they began working and are now receiving good salaries.

On September 17, a new job-training center was set up in Nongoma, about 300 kilometers from Durban. Mr. Zulu, head of the Kwazulu Natal provincial Social Service Department, was invited to join the opening ceremony. "Today we are witnessing a different type of culture--Great Love," he said. "Taiwan's Tzu chi members come from afar to help us, going to remote places where even we South Africans don't want to go. We really appreciate them and should learn from them."

Life Award for Master Cheng Yen

On October 14, Masters Te Min and Te Cheng attracted the attention of the whole audience when they appeared in the Regent Hotel in Beverly Hills to receive the Life Award from the Noel Foundation on behalf of Master Cheng Yen.

The Noel Foundation was founded by Noel Irwin Hentschel in 1989. The goal of the foundation is to assist the needy and in turn help them to assist other people. Ms. Hentschel said that after the earthquake that struck Taiwan on September 21 last year, she heard about Tzu Chi from reports in local newspapers and was very impressed with the quick actions of Tzu Chi volunteers. She said she really admired Master Cheng Yen for being able to attract four million people worldwide to carry out the four missions of charity, medicine, education and culture. She added that the Noel Foundation was eager to cooperate with the Tzu Chi Foundation to promote community care programs, such as programs against domestic violence.

The recipient of the Life Award is chosen by the foundation's advisors and members of the United Nations Development Fund for Women. When they choose the recipient of the Life Award, they do so with the hope of making the world a better place.

In addition to Master Cheng Yen, Sherry Lansing, CEO of Paramount films, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the founder of the Special Olympics, also received the award this year.

Scholarship exchanges between UC Berkeley and Tzu Chi University

Dr. Robert M. Berdahl, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, came to Taiwan and signed a scholarship exchange agreement with Tzu Chi University on November 4. According to Dr. Berdahl, Tzu Chi's strong emphasis on the humanities has produced outstanding students. Furthermore, Tzu Chi is famous around the world for its international charity work, so UC Berkeley was honored to sign a cooperation agreement with Tzu Chi University.

Master Cheng Yen stated that Tzu Chi was also proud of this agreement with the university. The university at Berkeley has produced countless great people, and she hoped Tzu Chi University would follow this example and produce world-class citizens.

Dr. Lan observed that UC Berkeley is more than 100 years old while Tzu Chi University is only six years old, so Tzu Chi still has a lot to learn from UC Berkeley.

Chancellor Berdahl and his group came to visit Tzu Chi last November. They were quite impressed with the swiftness and efficiency of Tzu Chi members in assisting the victims of the September 21 earthquake. They were impressed by the charity work that Master Cheng Yen has accomplished.

Wheelchairs donated to Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital

Kenneth Behring, chairperson of the Wheelchairs for the World Foundation, visited Tzu Chi with Dr. Robert Berdahl, chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley, and donated 240 wheelchairs to Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. The Wheelchairs for the World Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering free wheelchairs to anyone who needs one.

Master Cheng Yen mentioned to Behring that Tzu Chi volunteers in the United States had adopted the ideology of engaging in international relief work by collecting resources from their local areas and later repaying them. The Master hoped the visitors would become involved with Tzu Chi's charitable work when they returned to the States.

Sixth Indonesian free clinic

Iyus, a woman from western Java, brought her two-year-old daughter Dentania to the Tzu chi free clinic. When the girl was born, she had a harelip and the five fingers on her right hand were attached to each other. In addition, there were tiny tumors under her left armpit. When Dr. Feng Pao-hsing from Singapore successfully separated her five fingers, there was wild applaues and her parents were congratulated.

This time the free clinic was held on November 4 and 5 in the Padenmangan district of jakarta. At the clinic, 134 medical personnel and 264 volunteers from Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore and malaysia gathered to provide free medical services to 5,145 patients.

"Hope Elementary School" completed

The Hope Elementary School at the Fourth Tribe Indian reserve in Paraguay was finally completed and opened on October 29. At the opening ceremony, Tzu Chi volunteers also held a free dental clinic and distributed food to local residents.

The Indian reserve occupies 3,000 acres and is divided into 13 tribes. The area is largely undeveloped, the tribes are poor and children's education is extremely backward. On February 27 this year, Tzu Chi members in Ciudad del Este donated 650 gift packages, including school bags, notebooks, pencils, shoes and socks, as well as medicine and food, to 11 schools in the reserve.

The school in the Fourth Tribe had only two classrooms, made of wooden boards and grass for the roof. Whenever it rained, students had to stop their classes. Seeing the plight of these students, local Tzu Chi members bought construction materials and, with the help of a German priest and local villagers, built a new school. It took close to half a year to complete because bad transportation links interrupted deliveries of construction goods to the site.

The three new classrooms are made of wood, and in order to let heat out in the summer the roofs are made of thatched grass. The cement floor is raised one meter off the ground to prevent rainwater and mud from entering the classrooms in the rainy season. There are windows in the walls, and each classroom has new tables and chairs and can seat up to 30 students.

Typhoon Xangsane ravages northern Taiwan

Typhoon Xangsane ravaged northern Taiwan on October 31 and November 1. Tzu Chi mobilized more than 20,000 volunteers for 12 days to deliver drinking water, food and blankets, provide free medical services, clean the streets and the homes of the typhoon victims, console the victims, visit people injured by the typhoon, etc.

From November 1 to 9, Tzu Chi prepared close to 200,000 boxed meals, noodles, bread, cookies, bottled water, soup and hot tea each day. They also prepared clothes, 1,500 sleeping bags, 5,200 blankets and 650 comforters for typhoon victims.

In addition to delivering goods to victims, volunteers also helped to clean up several schools overrun by mud and floodwater. In addition, Tzu Chi provided cash to each of the 8,000 families affected-by November 9 the foundation had distributed NT$42 million [US$1.4 million]. The foundation will carry out long-term assistance to several families.