Within seconds, everything as far as the eye could see had been reduced to rubble and all that the ear could hear was a deadly silence. Within hours, the world started to pour love into this injured land, healing it unconditionally. Hope is blossoming in El Salvador.

The tragedy shocked the world. However, despite global economic recession, love is not in shortage. People in many countries immediately extended their helping hands. Among them were Tzu Chi people from Taiwan and the United States. In Taiwan, the foundation headquarters promptly decided to combine the forces of volunteers in the two regions. In less than twenty-four hours, Tzu Chi volunteers from the U.S. brought medicine to the devastated region to treat wounded survivors. Tzu Chi volunteers and a rescue team from Taiwan arrived on January 16th.

Red beans

"Do you prefer this red bean, or the redder one?" asked Zach Hsieh, the deputy director of the Tzu Chi Department of Religion, as he showed the two red beans to every Salvadoran he met. To alleviate food shortages, Tzu Chi purchased seven kinds of food, including red beans. "To truly help them, we must give what they want, even when it comes to beans! " With this in mind, Hsieh tirelessly surveyed local opinion. He was told that people in the countryside like the redder ones, which give soup a richer taste. Thus those beans were bought.

On February 2, Tzu Chi volunteers politely handed out the first of twenty thousand bags of food. The day was hot, sweat streamed down their faces, and their arms were sore. Yet the bright smiles on those who received the food made the labor worthwhile. Looking at the volunteers, a recipient was worried that these kind people might be thirsty. Although water was precious, he generously brought a big pot of drinking water to the distribution site for the volunteers. A little girl was concerned that the black-haired Taiwanese might be hungry, so she and her younger siblings walked a great distance just to bring them bunches of bananas, which warmed the hearts of the volunteers. Finally the last bag of food was distributed. Suddenly a loud burst of pop music and a crowd of Salvadorans danced in-swinging to the beat, singing to the music, they expressed their thankfulness. Their cheerful exuberance seemed to signal the arrival of a hopeful future.

Universal love

Those capable of dancing were the lucky ones, for they were physically well. The rest were either wounded in the earthquake or too impoverished to see a doctor. Knowing El Salvador's dire medical situation, medical teams from other nations flew in, including representatives from the Tzu Chi International Medical Association.

In the badly affected town of St. Vicente, most of the residents were injured when they fled in panic. Their wounds were startling. Many queued up to be treated, and doctors and volunteers saw patients without breaks. The scorching sun and the lack of sleep proved too much for them, and some fell ill. Yet none wanted to rest, because in this little town alone hundreds of patients needed to be helped, not to mention those living in more remote mountainous areas.

In a Roman Catholic church in Sacacoyo, Tzu Chi held a free clinic and treated 1,300 patients in three days. The parish priest not only kindly let volunteers from a Buddhist organization use the church, he even offered his private changing room. As reported in El Diario de Hoy, a local newspaper, doctors from the East were sticking long thin needles into patients' arms long before Christ. Ramon Cruz, an eighty-five-year old patient who had never seen a doctor in his life, found it odd that the Asian acupuncturist was poking a tiny needle in his arm to cure his back pain. Yet strangely the pain was clearly subsiding, as if the acupuncturist had received Jesus Christ's blessing to help them. "God bless you," said the old man. "Everything in the world, be it good or bad, is destined to happen," the priest commented. "Therefore, for some unknown reasons, a group of people of another skin color and of another religion came from afar to help us." A Tzu Chi volunteer praised him as the kindest priest he had ever met. To that the priest replied, "You are the most compassionate people I have ever met!"

Indeed without compassion, medical personnel from different parts of the world would not have traveled to El Salvador and exposed themselves to the danger of deadly aftershocks, just to treat wounded strangers for free.

At another free clinic, Catholic sisters scooped hot porridge for victims, young Mormons served victims and translated for Taiwanese volunteers, and doctors from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation treated patients. In the makeshift shelter universal love was radiating, showing that Great Love transcends national boundaries and religions.

Permanent housing

Food and medicine alone will not make quake victims feel settled. What they need is a home. It is estimated that one million people have become homeless in El Salvador. Tzu Chi decided to build 1,327 houses in Sacocaya for families whose houses had been destroyed or badly damaged. Since many had been killed in their flimsy homes, Tzu Chi insisted that all houses must be quakeproof so that residents would never again feel the same trauma. Regardless of the construction company's suggestion that prefabricated boards were cheaper than cement construction blocks, Tzu Chi still decided to use the latter for the new houses.

The government of El Salvador offered a ten-acre piece of property. It will also provide construction personnel, help with material transportation, and watch out for the safety of the workers. After the construction is finished, the local government will design and build public facilities for this new community.

Believing that it is a great blessing to be able to help, Tzu Chi USA decided to shoulder the entire relief project, including the estimated cost of US$1.5 million for building houses. Fund-raising activities such as bazaars have been held throughout the United States. Items for sale include low-calorie food and handmade dolls. The slogan was, "A doll can save a child in El Salvador." We all hope construction of the houses can be completed before the coming of the wet season in May.

Gratitude from he president

El Salvador's President Francisco Flores personally extended his gratitude to Tzu Chi volunteers for the second time. On December 8, 2000, during an official state visit to Taiwan, the president went to Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital to meet with Master Cheng Yen, founder of Tzu Chi, to personally express his gratitude to all foundation members for helping his country after Hurricane Mitch. Who could have thought that just one month after that meeting the nation would once again be ravaged by another natural disaster? In his meeting with the Master, President Flores said that in addition to diplomatic relationships, the people of Taiwan and El Salvador should also maintain good spiritual relationships as well.

In El Salvador, Tzu Chi people are sharing their love with Salvadorans. The medical team from the United States will hold free clinics in El Salvador for one year. Many Tzu Chi people have been stationed there since they arrived on January 16. As the Catholic priest said, everything in the world, good or bad, is destined to happen. Surely this exchange of love will assure that hope will blossom in this damaged land. We all believe that every cloud has its silver lining.