Tzu Chi shipped out 500 tons of rice and 15,000 blankets in 30 containers from Taiwan to South Africa and Lesotho on July 24; the containers arrived on August 22. Shih Hung-chi, director of the Tzu Chi South Africa branch, observed that South Africa was now in its winter season and that morning temperatures could drop as low as -5 degrees Celsius [23 F]. In addition to the freezing weather, Lesotho was also suffering both drought and food shortage problems. Tzu Chi distributed a month's worth of food--40 kilograms--to each of 12,500 poor families, a total of 62,500 people.

The blankets were donated by two Tzu Chi commissioners, Chang Chiung-wen and Tsai Hsiu-mei, who are in the business of exporting cloth. This past March, they also donated blankets to the Tzu Chi Jordan office for Iraqi refugees. This time the blankets to South Africa measured 183 by 150 cm [73 x 60 in] and were black, blue, red, and gray in color.

Tzu Chi moves with farm laborers

On June 22, the Tzu Chi USA Free Clinic held a regular free clinic for farm laborers living in Lost Hills, California, at the Highway 46 exit off Interstate 5. The farm laborers, mostly from Mexico, follow the harvest season from one farm to another.

The volunteers set up makeshift tents and provided Chinese medicine, Western medicine, dentistry, social work, relief distributions, and free haircuts. Volunteers also presented backpacks, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and school supplies to children.

Arizona fire

In mid June, a huge forest fire on Mt. Lemmon, near Tucson, Arizona, destroyed more than 300 houses and scorched 76,000 acres of land. Tzu Chi volunteers went to a hotel in Tucson that had offered shelter to 32 families, and there distributed emergency cash and looked for other families who needed help.

One couple had owned a wooden cabin on the mountain. The husband had diabetes and had no medical insurance or fire insurance for their home. The fire destroyed everything they had, but Tzu Chi's visit brought them hope.

Children's heaven

After San Agustin Acasagoastlan, a children's community center built with the help of the local Tzu Chi office in Guatemala, was completed, local Tzu Chi volunteers began to make regular visits to the institution to help the children there. They hope that the children will have a better living environment and grow up with love so that when they mature, they will become independent and offer help to other people as well.

On May 25, the children danced to music while volunteers asked the children questions and had fun together. Whether or not they gave the right answers, the children would still receive candy as awards. Parents also presented their own farm products to the volunteers as tokens of appreciation for their concern for the children's education. The volunteers also presented food, clothes, and toys to the children.

Indonesian president's visit

On August 25, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri came to the Tzu Chi Great Love Village in Jakarta to celebrate the grand opening of a medical center in the village and to visit many of the residents there. More than 3,000 people, including government officials, Tzu Chi members, and residents, attended the event. Before the ceremony began, Tzu Chi held a Muslim prayer service for the residents of the village, ninety percent of whom are Muslim.

The president said she hoped that what Tzu Chi did could inspire more government officials and residents to work hand-in-hand to make Jakarta a better place to live.

The governor of Jakarta, Dr. Sutiyoso, and other officials also visited the village on July 24. He reminded villagers to cherish their new homes and to protect their living environment. The construction of the village and the medical center began on July 8 last year and was completed on July 5 this year.

More distributions in Indonesia

Since May this year, the Tzu Chi Indonesia Branch has distributed rice to 400,000 poor families in Indonesia.

On July 19 and 20, local Tzu Chi members went to Serang County in Banten Province and distributed rice to 4,000 poor families in Biwang and Ciruas. Serang, the key point of access from Sumatra to Jakarta, contains 14 villages and 62,500 residents.

Most volunteers who helped with the distribution were employees from PT Indan Kiar, a paper production company located in the district. The owner of the company, Huang Jung-nien, who is also a Tzu Chi volunteer, encouraged his employees to participate in the event. They first went to the villages to find those who really needed help. Altogether they listed 2,000 people and keyed their names into a computer so that Tzu Chi could continue to provide them with necessary assistance in the future.

Countless stories at a free clinic

On July 19 and 20, medical professionals from the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) held the 12th free clinic in Cilegon, Western Java, Indonesia. Tzu Chi medical professionals from Taiwan and Singapore provided services to 351 people with various problems.

Cilegon is about a two-hour drive from Jakarta. Residents there are too poor to afford local medical services. Before the free clinic was held, Tzu Chi volunteers first went to evaluate the living conditions of the poor families in the area. The volunteers then gave registration cards to eligible families so they could come to the free clinic the next day.

The free clinic was located at Krakatau Steel Hospital. Since many patients lived out of town, they traveled long distances to the free clinic and even slept there for the night.

Seven-year-old Siti and her father spent six hours traveling to the free clinic site. Because of a huge tumor between her eyes, Siti was afraid to go to school. Her father remarked that he had always wanted to take her to a doctor, but the financial cost would have been a heavy burden for him since he had a total of seven children to look after. The free clinic doctor told Siti's father that the girl had to go to a major hospital in Jakarta for surgery and that Tzu Chi would help transfer her there. Although the surgery could not be carried out right away, Siti's father was still delighted with this arrangement.

Tenth anniversary in Singapore

The Tzu Chi Singapore branch held its tenth anniversary on August 2 and invited the public to witness what the branch had done in Singapore. Grandma Chen was also invited.

Grandma Chen, 90, lives by herself. Tzu Chi has been helping her for more than a decade. When her life improved, she refused any more financial help from Tzu Chi and even became a Tzu Chi member who makes regular monthly donations to Tzu Chi. When volunteers sat around and chatted with her on August 2, Grandma Chen happily felt that they were like her grandchildren.

The exhibition included more than 100 posters displaying the missions carried out by Tzu Chi headquarters in Taiwan and by the Tzu Chi Singapore Branch. The exhibition lasted for 10 days and attracted more than 6,000 visitors. Some schools listed the visit to the branch as a field trip. Visitors learned that there were many people around the world who still needed help.

Home for Pitas aborigine women

Tzu Chi Malaysian volunteers continue helping aborigines in Pitas, Malaysia. In addition to free clinics, the volunteers have set up the Tzu Chi Compassion Home for pregnant women.

Pitas, population 20,000, is located in the remote mountains. It is about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Kota Kinabalu, capital of Sabah province. Although there are 11 medical stations in Pitas, it is extremely inconvenient for pregnant women to visit any of them. They have to walk for two days as well as cross a river by a small canoe in order to reach them. Therefore, most pregnant women don't go to the medical stations for prenatal examinations but instead choose to give birth at home. This in turn means that many women may suffer miscarriages.

Dr. Chen Jung-hui joined Tzu Chi for a free clinic in Pitas in May this year. When he learned about the problems faced by these Pitas pregnant women, he asked Tzu Chi volunteers to set up a home where the women could stay. After much discussion, they finally set up the Tzu Chi Compassion Home across the street from an obstetric clinic in Pitas. The home can accommodate eight pregnant women at once, and Tzu Chi hires people to look after their needs. When they are about to give birth, they can then go to the clinic across the street.

Stranded Chinese go home

On January 22, a "labor agency" in China arranged for 46 Chinese laborers to work in Malaysia. The agency charged each man 25,000 ringgits [US$6,580] and promised them that they would be able to earn 2,500 ringgits a month in Malaysia. These men borrowed money from banks and friends, hoping to improve their lives and to earn enough money overseas.

At the start, they worked at a construction site in Ipoh. After three months, they had earned only 1,000 ringgits [US$263]. When they were transferred to another construction site in Cyber Jaya, they lost contact with the agency and realized that they had been cheated. They lost their jobs and their passports, meaning that they had suddenly become illegal migrants in Malaysia. If found, they would be sent to jail. To avoid being arrested, thy hid in forests and had to endure cold winds and mosquitoes.

When news about them was reported in a newspaper on June 6, local Tzu Chi members went to visit them and also brought fruit, vegetables, rice, drinking water, cooking goods, and gas stoves to them. Each man also received 100 ringgits [US$26]. Tzu Chi continued to help these men until they received new passports and visas from the Chinese embassy and went home.