GREAT LOVE ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAITS

#Rice, cotton clothes and money were distributed in Quanjiao County, Tongling County, Wuhe, Guz hen, Langxi County and Xuanzhou City. Free clinics were conducted. Scholarships were given to children who had lost the opportunity to go to school. 945 houses, 10 nursing homes, two elementary schools and three middle schools were built.

#Cultural exchanges between students and mutual observation of teaching methods between teachers on both sides were carried out.

#Two childcare clinics were built, one in Wuwei and the other in Quanjiao County.

More than 200 million people were rendered homeless and hundreds of thousands of rice fields were inundated by water. The loss of property was immeasurable. The flooding in May and June 1991 was the worst the Chinese had suffered in the last few decades.

In September 1999, unable to bear the suffering of our compatriots in mainland China, Master Cheng Yen called on all people in Taiwan to lovingly help the survivors and to donate money with the conviction of "When you suffer I feel the sorrow, and when you hurt I feel the pain." All the Tzu Chi members in Taiwan enthusiastically responded to her call and started many fund-raising drives, hoping to help the flood victims get through the winter and rebuild their homes.

After careful investigations and evaluation, Tzu Chi decided to give first priority to badly devastated Quanjiao County, Anhui Province. Master Cheng Yen hoped that at least the survivors could have food to eat, clothes to wear, a shelter to stay in during cold winter, schools for their children to attend, and nursing homes where their old folks could stay.

Based on the above considerations, in addition to distributing cotton jackets, heavy underwear, money, seeds and fertilizer in the disaster regions, Tzu Chi built fourteen communities of two-story houses in Quanjiao County, ten nursing homes for old people, one middle school and two elementary schools. The flood victims in that county were greatly touched by the warm care and love from their compatriots in Taiwan. "We hope all Tzu Chi people will regard Quanjiao as their second hometown and they are always welcome here," said the county magistrate.

Anhui was the first province in mainland China in which Tzu Chi carried out disaster relief. Hence a special bridge was built between Tzu Chi people and Chinese people on the mainland. In addition to disaster relief, teachers and college students on both sides exchanged visits in 1998. Along with the relief work, Tzu Chi also conducted a free clinic in Anhui in 1999. All this was made possible by the relief program we did ten years ago in this province.

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