The Tzu Chi Indonesia branch held the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the second Tzu Chi Village on February 2, 2004. The village is about three hectares [7.4 acres] in area and will house 600 families. The construction period will last for a year. Distinguished guests from the Jakarta city government and Tzu Chi volunteers from the Philippines and Taiwan were invited to the ceremony.

The Tzu Chi Village is intended for fishermen living on the lower side of the river. Most of them come from Indramayu in West Java. They live and conduct their daily business on their boats.

Because the first Tzu Chi Village improved the lives of people who used to live next to the Angke River, the Jakarta government is providing the land and half of the construction funds to build the second village. Dr. Sutiyoso, governor of Jakarta, pointed out that the government alone couldn't provide help to all the poor people in Jakarta. The construction of the Tzu Chi villages should motivate other charity groups to pitch in and help.

The new village will be built near the mouth of the Angke River, which will benefit the fishermen by allowing them easy access to the sea and the ability to continue with their fishing jobs. The government has also promised to build a harbor big enough for 200 fishing vessels.

On February 7 and 8, the Tzu Chi Indonesia branch held a free clinic with help from doctors and volunteers from Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. They successfully treated 328 patients from Jakarta, Cianjur, Tajur, Kencana, and Cilacap.

All patients received health examinations before the free clinic. Ninety patients living in remote areas came to stay in the Tzu Chi school in the Tzu Chi Village a day beforehand so that they could have enough time to receive operations the following day.

On February 8, the Tzu Chi branch office distributed rice to 4,000 poor families living in the Tzu Chi Village, in Kampung Melayu Barat, and in Desa Laksana. Doctors and teachers from Tzu Chi in Taiwan even helped these people carry their rice home.

Boxed meals to flood victims

On January 24, heavy rain caused serious floods in lowland areas in and around Kuching, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The floods cut off roads and trapped people in their homes; 5,000 people were affected and over 10,000 students couldn't go to school.

On January 25, volunteers brought 200 boxed meals to Kampung Surik Stapok. The village chief said that the residents knew Tzu Chi volunteers would be the first to arrive to give them relief goods.

The forty-five families in the village consisted mostly of dock workers or construction workers, so their incomes were very meager. When their wooden homes began to flood, they ran to take shelter in nearby empty homes built with concrete blocks. They had no cooking utensils, food, water, or electricity, so they were delighted when Tzu Chi volunteers arrived to deliver food.

The volunteers came again a few days later to hand out toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, soap, eggs, comforters, and bottled water. They also brought 131 comforters to keep the villagers warm throughout the cold nights.

A few days later, Tzu Chi people came a third time to hand out emergency cash so that the villagers would be able to purchase daily necessities and school supplies.

Between January 28 and February 2, Tzu Chi held 21 relief distributions for people affected by the floods and delivered 156,300 Malay ringgits (US$41,000), 109 kilograms of rice, and 82 kilograms of sugar to 1,149 families.

Two events in Cebu

In late December 2003, the central Philippine island of Leyte suffered serious landslides and floods caused by rainstorms. At least 200 people died and thousands were made homeless.

On December 26, 15 Tzu Chi volunteers from Cebu took a boat to Leyte. The volunteers divided into two groups: one group took a boat to Pinutan to distribute 102 bags of relief goods; the other group traveled by land to Punta to hand out 90 bags of relief items, and then to Liloan to distribute 50 packages of goods. The relief supplies included cold medicine, cooking pots, plates, cups, canned food, cookies, noodles, blankets, underwear, shoes, and candles.

The Tzu Chi Cebu liaison office held a free clinic targeting the poor in the city on February 8. Because transportation there was more convenient, over 1,700 people came for the medical treatment--a new record for the clinic.

The free clinic was set up at a national technology university. Patients from San Roque and Santo Nino were mostly dock workers, truck drivers, construction workers, and people earning minimum wages. Many families had three to five children, but some had as many as 12. Thus their lives were extremely difficult.

The medical team went to find out more information about these people and planned out the setup for the clinic. Fifty doctors and nurses were involved in the free clinic; medical students from Cebu University also came to watch and learn how to treat patients with love.

Children calling from a forgotten place

In the morning mist, 23 exhausted Tzu Chi volunteers arrived in Maehongson Province, northern Thailand, to hand out daily necessities to 10 schools and 1,279 students in the area. They had left Bangkok the previous day and traveled over 800 kilometers (497 miles) to this remote region. But they were immediately awakened when they saw what the students were wearing in the freezing weather: T-shirts, shorts, and slippers, or even no shoes at all.

The volunteers distributed candy, comforters, clothes, pencils, socks, and cookies to 1,279 students and comforters to 60 teachers. The students lined up neatly and quietly to receive the goods. Their smiles clearly showed that these necessities were very precious to them.

One female teacher came at five in the morning to set up all the chairs and tables needed for the distribution. She pointed out that in the mountains the coldest time of the year is from December to February, with temperatures fluctuating from 8 to 14 degrees Celsius (46-57 F). It was so cold at night that the students couldn’t sleep well, which affected their studies.

A student once complained to the teacher that no one ever came to help them. She felt sad for them because they had nothing to keep them warm in the cold winter. But Tzu Chi changed things for them and helped to make their lives better.

Gentle caresses from a distant place

In June last year, rainstorms caused heavy floods in the midstream and downstream areas of the Yangtze and Huai rivers in China. Thousands upon thousands of farms and homes were submerged, and thousands of people became homeless.

On the dikes along the rivers, flood victims built temporary homes with tents, canvas, tree trunks, and anything they could get their hands on. Their dogs slept from exhaustion, cattle, chickens, and geese wandered around freely by the river, and children played with each other. Even though the entire scene seemed harmonious, these people had lost their homes and their future was extremely bleak.

Tzu Chi members went to inspect the disaster area twice and decided that five counties in two provinces would be relief priorities. Around the Chinese New Year in February 2004, Tzu Chi distributed clothes, comforters, and four months' worth of food to 25,000 families, or over 87,000 people.

Providing for needs in "heaven"

Most people liken Canada to heaven, with its beautiful environment and perfect social welfare system. As for Vancouver, many believe it is one of the most suitable places to live on earth. Still, from the end of last year to February of this year, Tzu Chi volunteers held 10 winter distributions in Vancouver.

Tzu Chi volunteers in Vancouver help out at 14 places, including five food banks, six nursing homes, and one recreation center for the mentally handicapped. The volunteers also cook and provide food at a Salvation Army office and at a shelter for street children.

Volunteers who regularly serve at the food bank in Surrey provided thick blankets, fruits, and sweets to recipients in one winter distribution. The person in charge of the food bank in Surrey explained that since the government had rolled back social spending, all low-income families would be facing a much harsher winter this year. He hoped that more charitable organizations could join the food banks to help more people.

The food bank in Surrey is the only one in the Greater Vancouver area that gives out baby food; the volunteers there help out every Wednesday. One time, a young pregnant woman came with a little girl in a stroller. The woman said that her baby would be due in four days, so the blankets from Tzu Chi would help her a lot in the winter. One new immigrant said that he had just arrived in Vancouver and hadn't applied for his medical insurance card. He was delighted that he and his family could receive goods from Tzu Chi, including blankets.

Blankets to street people

In the bitter cold winter, it is nice to have a blanket to stay warm. The Tzu Chi Dallas office in the United States recently received a pile of electric blankets that were transformed into regular blankets to give to the poor on the streets.

In December last year, a company donated over 100 electric blankets to the Tzu Chi Dallas office because the blankets didn't pass safety tests on their power devices. The volunteers recalled that the poor in the city needed blankets for the winter, so they took up the blankets, divided them among the group, and took them home. They cut open the blankets, took out the wires inside, and threw the blankets into washing machines to clean. They then ironed them, sewed them up, and brought them back to the Tzu Chi office.

Volunteers beautifully presented the blankets to street people by wrapping the blankets in plastic wrapping. Since the Dallas office regularly distributes sandwiches to street people on the second Wednesday of every month, the volunteers were able to hand out the blankets in person.

A special visit by Chinese monks

A group of monks and officials from China visited Tzu Chi headquarters in Hualien on February 23. The monks included the abbots of seven top temples in China's Hunan Province, such as Master Yong Xin of the famous Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Chinese martial arts.

The visitors arrived at the Still Thoughts Hall at 10:30 a.m. and toured photo exhibitions on the four major missions of Tzu Chi.

After lunch, they were brought to the Abode of Still Thoughts for a meeting with Master Cheng Yen. The Master pointed out in her welcoming remarks that she had heard of Shaolin Temple and that she was delighted by their visit. Master Yong Xin remarked that Tzu Chi was also famous in China and that Master Cheng Yen's Still Thoughts had become very popular among the public. He had heard of the many charitable deeds that the foundation had carried out in China, and he hoped to learn the Tzu Chi spirit in doing good deeds so that he would be able to guide his disciples to do the same thing.

At the end of their visit, two of the youngest Shaolin novices performed Shaolin kung-fu in front of Master Cheng Yen, who said in amazement, "They really opened my eyes!"