In partnership with the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) Department of Surgery, the Tzu Chi Zamboanga office sponsored a Minor Surgery Mission at ZCMC on August 9, 2006. It was the 35th mission since May 2000. Preparations for the event started as early as last July, when plans for the celebration of ZCMC Hospital Week were finalized.

Although more than 220 patients were treated at the Minor Surgery Mission in May 2006, over 50 patients were left on the waiting list. Because these surgeries are usually elective, they often get bumped from the very full operating room schedules in the hospital. Other patients are so poor they barely have enough to feed their families. For them, these free clinics are the only available recourse for medical care. When Tzu Chi heard of the long list of patients still awaiting surgery from the last mission, they jumped at the chance to sponsor this mission as part of the Hospital Week celebration.

Most of the patients awaiting treatment suffered from cysts. Although not life-threatening, cysts often cause acute anxiety and a loss of self-esteem, especially when they are located on the face or the neck. Sadly, people with cysts frequently face discrimination by potential employers and cannot find work.

Because cyst removal is considered minor surgery, Tzu Chi converted a conference room in the hospital into a makeshift surgical clinic. This also minimized the impact on the normal patient flow through the hospital operating rooms. Tzu Chi volunteers equipped the clinic with enough surgical equipment for ten ZCMC surgeons to operate simultaneously.

Beginning at 7:00 a.m., 27 Tzu Chi volunteers took time off from their busy workloads to staff the mission clinic. When they were not assisting the surgeons, they took turns assisting patients and making sure they were processed efficiently. Volunteers interviewed patients, prepared and handed out surgical supplies to surgeons, assisted in operations, dressed incisions, and helped change patients out of their blood-soiled shirts into new T-shirts. One volunteer even donated a family-sized bottle of shampoo to each patient to show his gratitude for giving Tzu Chi the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.

By 4:00 p.m., 33 patients had undergone superficial cyst removal, and three had had surgical repair for hemorrhoids. It took several more hours to clean up the conference room and load the equipment into the Tzu Chi medical transport van. Afterwards, the volunteers left the hospital exhausted but with a sense of accomplishment. Tzu Chi members are grateful to the ZCMC surgeons for the opportunity to serve, and they look forward to the next surgical mission.

Thailand

On July 1, 2006, 38 needy families came to the Tzu Chi Thailand branch office to receive their monthly distribution of goods. Because they are so poor, many of these families build their houses illegally on muddy land or on riverbanks. As a result, their houses are not very stable and their living environments are not very good.

For several months, volunteers at the branch office have been promoting environmental protection and recycling to aid recipients. Volunteer Qiu Ro-yu informed each family that they could start protecting the environment by cleaning up their own houses and surroundings regularly. She pointed out that any recyclables collected could then be sold. Tzu Chi volunteers in Thailand donate every penny they receive from the sale of recyclables back to the community. A single penny might not seem like much, but put enough of them together and there is enough to help orphans or disaster victims.

In addition to the 38 needy families that received their supplies that day, volunteers delivered goods to eight additional families who were unable to come in person. All families left with a supply of needed goods and a few tips about how to transform their homes and their neighborhoods into better places to live.

Indonesia

On July 17, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake created a tsunami with a wave height of almost two meters (six feet) that swept across the Pangandaran coastline in southern Indonesia. The tsunami and countless aftershocks killed over 520 people, injured more than 380, and left 50,000 people homeless.

After the disaster, local Tzu Chi volunteers sprang into action. Relief teams from Jakarta and Bandung arrived at the disaster site in less than 24 hours. After setting up a relief coordination center, Tzu Chi volunteers visited numerous refugee centers in Pangandaran and Cikalong, where they provided material and psychological support to survivors. By July 20, over 1,160 households impacted by the tsunami had received relief materials from the Tzu Chi Indonesia branch. The relief supplies, distributed through seven evacuation centers in Pangandaran, included a total of 2,800 kilograms of rice, 65 boxes of instant noodles, 120 boxes of biscuits, 7 tents, and 974 blankets. In addition, 186 patients have been treated at the Tzu Chi free clinic in Pos Bojong Krekes.

France

On June 9, 2006, Tzu Chi members attended the Vesak celebration in Paris. Vesak, also known as the Day for Showering the Buddha, is an annual event during which Buddhists around the world celebrate the Buddha's birthday. On this day, it is traditional to pray for world peace. The main sponsors of the event in Paris this year were the Sri Lankan embassy and the International Buddhist Centre of Le Bourget. Because Tzu Chi volunteer Li Gui-rong had befriended Master Chandraratana Parawahera of the International Buddhist Centre, Tzu Chi members were also invited to attend.

On June 7, two Tzu Chi volunteers attended a meeting in preparation for the Vesak celebration. Ambassador Chitranganee Wagiswara of Sri Lanka welcomed them warmly. Soon after greetings were exchanged, the volunteers presented a binder documenting Tzu Chi's charity activities around the world. Flipping through the pages, the ambassador was surprised to learn how helpful Tzu Chi had been in her country after the deadly tsunami of December 2004. Master Chandraratana nodded his head in agreement and told the ambassador, "Yes, they were very instrumental in spearheading relief work in Sri Lanka. I instantly recognized their uniforms when they entered. They have done a lot of relief work throughout South Asia."

Fourteen Buddhist monks led by Master Chandaratana participated in the ceremony on June 9. The monks represented Sri Lanka, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. They began the ceremony by presenting flowers and other gifts to a statue of the Buddha. Representatives of the local Catholic Church also participated. Tzu Chi was represented by Li Gui-rong and other local volunteers.

Afterwards, dance groups from different countries performed. The Sri Lankan group performed four different dances. Tzu Chi volunteers performed songs accompanied by sign language and musical instruments.

South Africa

On Saturday, August 5, 2006, a fire destroyed three houses in the Ivory Park neighborhood of Johannesburg. Tzu Chi volunteers received news of the tragedy on Sunday evening, and quickly responded. On Monday morning, August 7, they gathered blankets, clothes, cornmeal, loaves of bread, and other supplies and set out for the ravaged neighborhood.

The relief team first met Johanna, a volunteer in Kaalfontein. She drove them to Ivory Park to meet Morwesi, another volunteer, who took them to the location of the fire.

The volunteers noticed that although the fire site had been cleaned up, nothing much remained. Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, because the residents of the homes had been attending a funeral at the time. However, the survivors were at a loss for what to do next.

The three houses that had burned down belonged to a single large family of eight people: a married couple, their three grown children, a nine-year-old daughter, and two two-year-old grandchildren. When asked how they survived the cold winter nights, the grandmother replied that they were staying in another daughter's house nearby. Sadly, that meant that more than ten people were forced to squeeze themselves into a single dwelling just to survive the nights.

Tzu Chi is currently working with the family to help them through this terrible ordeal and get them back on their feet again.

Canada

In May, a home in Langley, British Columbia, was destroyed by fire. For Robert Goden, one of the survivors, the fire was particularly devastating. Goden had become unemployed after a serious car accident, and he was living with a friend at the house. The fire not only left him and his friend with nowhere to live, but also destroyed a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine that Robert needed to breathe comfortably at night.

In June, Sheena Vivina of the Provincial Emergency Social Service in Langley notified Tzu Chi of Goden's situation and his urgent need for a new CPAP machine. After speaking with Vivina, volunteer Luo Mei-ling visited Goden to learn more about his needs.

First, Luo worked with Goden to decide what features were required in a new CPAP machine. She then went on the Internet and found a company that produced the machine. When company representatives learned that the machine would be donated to a fire survivor, they kindly reduced the price. As a result, Luo was able to purchase the same type of machine Robert had used before, but at a savings of US$714.

Canadian laws stipulate that a doctor's prescription is required before any such medical equipment can be purchased. Unfortunately, at the time Luo found the machine on the Internet, Goden's doctor was away on vacation. The Tzu Chi Canada branch was forced to put the purchase on hold until the doctor returned.

As soon as he returned, he faxed the prescription to the Tzu Chi Canada branch office, which immediately placed the order. The new machine finally arrived a few days later.

On July 17, volunteers brought the machine to Goden, who very skillfully assembled it. The following day, Luo phoned Goden to see how he was doing. She was pleasantly surprised to hear his voice so energetic. Clearly the new CPAP machine helped him breathe better, and he could finally get some quality sleep.

Luo felt that by helping other people in this situation, she was the real beneficiary. By forcing herself to read the Internet documentation and understand how the machine functioned, she improved her developing English literacy skills. In addition, listening and talking to Goden helped her improve her conversational English skills. In fact, everyone involved benefited from Luo's actions in helping Goden obtain a new CPAP machine.

Australia

The Tzu Chi Australia branch held a sidewalk sale in Chatswood, north of Sydney, on June 24, in order to raise money for the renovation of the branch office and for Tzu Chi missions. Before daybreak, volunteers started moving goods to the site. By ten, customers were already stopping by to browse and buy. There were a variety of items offered for sale, including vegetarian food, cakes, pottery, handicrafts, plants, tea, health food, cosmetics, and Tzu Chi publications.

There were also tables and chairs on which visitors could rest, eat, and enjoy entertainment offered by talented Tzu Chi members on a central stage.