ENVELOPING THE WORLD WITH GREAT LOVE

On August 17, 1999, a killer earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale hit Turkey and caused much damage in human lives and property: more than fifteen thousand people died, twenty-six thousand were injured, and over six hundred thousand people were left homeless. Rescue and relief workers from over fifty countries sped to their aid.

Ten days after the temblor, Tzu Chi distributed three thousand water-proof mattress pads and six thousand blankets to refugees. The foundation also negotiated with the government for land on which "Great Love" prefabricated houses would be constructed for survivors in the city of Goluck. Temporary classrooms were built for Tersane Elementary School to help relieve the serious shortage of space needed to accommodate students from other schools that had been destroyed in the earthquake.

The relief program was still under way when another strong quake, 7.2 on the Richter scale, struck, causing the death of more than seven hundred people and wounding more than five thousand. Tzu Chi personnel stationed in the country to oversee construction of the prefabricated houses in Goluck immediately purchased five thousand blankets for residents of Duzce City, which had taken the hardest hit, and decided to set up large insulated tents to help the victims get through the winter.

Taiwan experienced its biggest earthquake in a century while the relief work in Turkey was still in process. Tzu Chi volunteers all over the island worked around the clock to help quake survivors, but amidst that chaos the foundation still had people stationed at Goluck to supervise construction of the houses there and ensure construction quality. With blizzards and strong aftershocks hampering progress, three hundred prefabricated houses, two hundred large insulated tents and four temporary classrooms for the Tersane Elementary school were completed on January 8, 2000, just before the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Five hundred families moved into their new homes, receiving at the same time daily living necessities to give them a head start on their new lives.

"At the disaster area, there were rescue and relief workers from different countries who scarcely knew each other," Hsieh Ching-kui said. "They were all there with a shared concern for the victims. What I witnessed there was the mutual help of mankind. And in this event, Taiwan was not absent."

The relief work received help from local charity and business organizations, Taiwanese businessmen in Turkey, and students from mainland China. Among the helpers were Muslims and Jews, who worked with Buddhists to help those in need. To continue this Great Love that transcends all borders, local Taiwanese businessmen established the Tzu Chi Turkey liaison office to carry out long-term charity work. The priority is to pay regular monthly visits to the campsite to distribute living necessities to the quake survivors.

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