In January 2005, seven days of unprecedented rainstorms brought 15 inches of water to southern California, more than the total average annual rainfall. As a result, rivers overflowed and mudslides occurred in various parts of southern California. Over 20 homes in La Conchita, Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, were buried under mudslides, and over 200 residents were forced to evacuate. The severe weather also set off avalanches in the mountains, disrupted train service, and shut down airports as far as Utah and northern Nevada.

On January 26, Tzu Chi volunteers distributed relief goods to people in Follows Camp, Azusa, California. Their work targeted local residents who were cancer patients, physically or mentally handicapped people, or people on social welfare. The bridge to Follows Camp had been severely damaged by the rainstorms and flooding and a temporary bridge had been constructed. However, it was still a very hazardous crossing. To lessen the risk of potential danger, the volunteers loaded all the relief goods into the bucket of a bulldozer. The bulldozer then crossed over the river to the other side, where the residents could safely pick the supplies up.

At least 10 people died and nine were injured in the mudslides in La Conchita. Over 200 people from this town were forced to abandon their homes and stay in Red Cross shelters. Over 700 rescue workers arrived in La Conchita on January 10 and worked in three shifts to locate any survivors in the crumpled houses and crushed cars. Tzu Chi volunteers provided food and water to rescue workers, and hot corn soup to keep the rescue workers warm at night.

Tzu Chi Canada branch receives Cultural Harmony Award

The Tzu Chi Canada branch was included by the government of British Columbia in 2004 as a member of the provincial Emergency Social Services program, the only Chinese organization among the nine coordinating teams. In 2004, the city of Vancouver declared September 5 "Van-couver Tzu Chi Day," and on November 30, the city awarded the Tzu Chi branch office with its Cultural Harmony Award.

The award was established in 1996 to honor any individuals or groups that have shown a commitment to the promotion of cultural harmony in Vancouver. At the award ceremony, Mayor Larry Campbell observed that Tzu Chi has been assisting the needy in the Greater Vancouver region since 1992, providing hot food to street people, boxed meals to handicapped or elderly people, visiting nursing homes every week, and donating to victims of forest fires in the province of British Columbia, among many other things. "Tzu Chi brings warmth and harmony to Vancouver residents in difficulty."

Gary Ho, CEO of the Tzu Chi Canada branch, accepted the award from the mayor on behalf of the branch office. He mentioned in his speech that Tzu Chi has set up 34 stations in Vancouver and has been providing services every week. Currently, volunteers serve over 900 people every month and have helped over 5,000 people. Ho concluded that if all of us could regard each other with sincerity and take good care of the earth, the world would become a more peaceful place to live in.

Canada has a very complete social welfare system. The country's stress on human rights and multiculturalism have made it the top choice for immigrants and refugees from around the world. But when they arrive in Canada, they are faced with a more brutal reality. The Canadian economy has been depressed for years, and unemployment is on the rise. Immigrants with special skills do not find appropriate jobs here very easily. On the other hand, federal and provincial governments shoulder heavy burdens in paying out a huge amount of unemployment insurance, funds for refugees, and other social welfare payments. To meet the rising demands, the governments have had to raise taxes, but this has also meant that more people are pushed into the low-income category or even below the poverty line. Therefore, Tzu Chi pays special attention to children's education and refugee care. At the same time, whenever a disaster occurs, Tzu Chi also tries to locate survivors who lack social insurance and provide real help.

The Tzu Chi spirit of humanitarianism finally attracted attention from the government of British Columbia. Tzu Chi volunteers had been seen helping out at many natural disaster scenes and providing assistance to the needy in local communities, regardless of race or religion. On November 29, 2004, the provincial government suggested that Tzu Chi join the Emergency Social Services, which also includes the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. All of the ESS participants pitch in to help during any major disaster.

Hard life at the garbage dump

Tzu Chi volunteers in Bloemfontein, South Africa, drove over bumpy, hazardous roads and finally arrived at the Hyper garbage dump. They carefully unloaded food from the trucks for distribution to the people who lived at the dumpsite and to those who were forced to scavege amongst the garbage, looking for anything they could exchange for money.

Since April 2004, volunteers have been carrying out this service twice a month. The residents have now memorized the whole procedure. They line up in an orderly queue, wash their hands, and take out their personal containers to pick up bread, sandwiches, and various curried vegetables. They can also enjoy hot milk, tea, or coffee after the meal.

Recently, the volunteers discovered that more and more children aged between seven and 15 years old were also searching for valuable things at the dump site. As the weather was turning colder, the people living there burnt piles of garbage to keep themselves warm. The volunteers were heartbroken to see this, and hoped to find ways to provide them with more warmth.

Tzu Chi relief to Infanta

A day after killer floods and accompanying landslides killed thousands of residents on Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines, Tzu Chi volunteers from Taiwan boarded a helicopter and surveyed the damage in the disaster areas. They felt they were prepared for the worst after viewing news footage aired on TV. But when the volunteers arrived at the disaster areas, they could not help but feel overwhelmed by the death and destruction that they saw. Surveying the needs on the ground, they heard and witnessed countless tales of dreadful woe and suffering. Having assessed the damage, the volunteers promptly organized a relief operation coupled with a medical mission. During their relief mission, they met with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was also there to inspect the area. The president was at first surprised and then profuse with her admiration and gratitude to Tzu Chi for being the first non-government organization on the site.

Volunteers brought with them heavy machinery with which to clear mud and debris from the roads and make them passable for vehicles bringing badly needed relief goods. The volunteers also distributed rice, clothing, and other essentials. Together with members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association, the volunteers conducted numerous free clinics around the area.

After the mission, the volunteers reported to Master Cheng Yen at the Tzu Chi headquarters in Hualien. The founder reminded the volunteers, "Illness or disaster is one of the many unavoidable sufferings between birth and death, and we should do all we can to help victims feel less miserable."

Tzu Chi is currently working with Palafox and Associates in Manila to explore the possibility of constructing a Tzu Chi Great Love Village in Infanta similar to ones built by Tzu Chi in Peru, China, Indonesia, and elsewhere. Felino Palafox, a world-renowned architect who was responsible for the design of the schools Tzu Chi will soon construct in Bam, Iran, also volunteered to do the planning for the relocation site in the Philippines.

Great Love shines on Quezon

Tzu Chi Philippine branch held a free clinic in Infanta, Quezon Province, on January 22 and 23, 2005. One month had passed since landslides had killed thousands of residents, left thousands more missing, and destroyed countless homes. Roads to Infanta had been cleared so that vehicles were able to transport much needed goods to the residents, including several stainless steel water tanks donated by Tzu Chi.

By 6:30 a.m., volunteers had arrived at Real Elementary School, where the free clinic would be held, to prepare for the event. A lot of local residents were already eagerly waiting for the doctors to arrive. By 7:30, the lines had tripled in length and the waiting area was already full. By 8:30, 189 volunteers and members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) started seeing patients. Tzu Chi also sent buses to pick up residents from Gen. Nakar and Infanta and bring them to the site.

Tzu Chi organized two teams of TIMA doctors to do house calls for those who were not well enough to travel to the free clinic. Almost a year ago, Master Cheng Yen promoted her concept of Medicine with Humanity to TIMA volunteers. They were asked to provide a service that used to exist in a time when doctors made house calls, treating not only the disease, but also the spirit. As the volunteers approached a village, they were awed by what they saw. Before them were houses and vehicles half submerged in mud. Giant logs, uprooted trees, appliances and furniture lay scattered all over the place. What used to be residential communities lay empty, and once productive fields were covered by thick blankets of mud. According to victims' accounts, everything happened in seconds: first they were awakened by a loud rumbling sound and before they could even react, they saw water rising at a terrible speed and the next thing they knew, mud and logs were colliding with their houses with such force that most of their buildings and livelihood were instantly destroyed. The volunteers felt blessed to be in a position to help.

As they visited house after house, they witnessed awful scenes of devastation. There were houses whose second-floor windows had become their main entrances. Young and able-bodied residents went to the Tzu Chi mission site with their children in tow, leaving weak, old, and crippled family members at home and in evacuation centers. They were the very people who needed medical attention the most! When visiting TIMA doctors introduced themselves and explained that they had come to attend to their medical needs, most of these needy residents broke down in tears. They couldn't believe that someone had actually remembered them and taken the trouble to walk through muddy fields just to see them and hand out free medicine.

One elderly resident told the volunteers that after the disaster, a lot of foreign and local organizations had made their way to Quezon offering relief goods, medicines, and other assistance, but it was only Tzu Chi people who took the less accessible roads to attend to their medical needs.

The next day, everything was repeated again. By the end of the two-day mission, a total of 3,605 patients had been seen, including the 80 house-call recipients whose lives we had touched and whose health and hope had been restored by the Great Love of our TIMA doctors and Tzu Chi people worldwide.

Free clinics for refugee children

Malaysia has 14 refugee camps for around 20,000 refugees scattered throughout the country. Most of these refugees stowed away on boats from Myanmar and Aceh, Indonesia, due to the economy, war or religious oppression. Because the refugees cannot receive legal documentation from the Malaysian government, they have to wait in the refugee camps for processing by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) before being sent on to a third country. But the wait can last their whole lives.

In addition to adults, many refugees are actually children who were born in Malaysia. However, since their parents are illegal, the children do not enjoy the basic human rights of education and medical services, and they cannot even speak the language.

About a half-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur is Selayang, where about 500 Myanmar refugees live. They support themselves by working odd jobs. A religious school was established in 1996 to teach the refugee children religious etiquette, language classes including Arabic, English, and Malay, and a few other courses too. The school has 60 students, from 2 to 19 years old, who take lessons from Monday through Friday, from 6 in the morning to 8:30 in the evening.

At the request of the UNHCR, Tzu Chi volunteers and members of the Malaysian branch of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association went to the school four times between October and December 2004. They provided free medical treatment and distributed bedsheets, quilts, pillows, washing machines, and other daily goods.