ENVELOPING THE WORLD WITH GREAT LOVE

Rwanda, located in central Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world. In April 1994, war erupted between the two largest ethnic groups in the country, the Hutu (90%) and the Tutsi (9%). Over five hundred thousand people were slaughtered, and more than two million fled to neighboring countries. The massive outflow of refugees was described as an "unprecedented disaster" by the international community.

Within two weeks, over a million war refugees flocked to Zaire, northwest of Rwanda. Food, water and medicine were in extremely short supply in the refugee camps, giving rise to contagious diseases such as cholera and dysentery. During the worst period, more than two thousand refugees died in a single day.

Faced with the pressing need for help and the tumultuous situation in Rwanda, in order to give relief to the refugees in the most direct and effective way, Tzu Chi decided to work with MDM, which was already in the country carrying out medical aid. In Taiwan, Tzu Chi recruited twenty-three volunteer medical personnel to travel to the war hospital set up by MDM in Goma, a border city in Zaire. There, they provided medical services and nutritious food to the refugees to slow down the spread of diseases. A medical station was also set up near Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, where medical services were provided for refugees returning home.

"In the medical station jointly established by MDM and Tzu Chi, I saw a young girl smile after receiving proper medical care," said Wang Ying-wei, director of the Family Medicine department of Tzu Chi General Hospital. "That precious smile, blooming from a land of death and misery, where everyone seemed expressionless, moved me deeply. Our powers may be limited, but at least we have brought the love of the people of Taiwan."

Due to the emergency medical aid provided at the crucial time by MDM, Tzu Chi and other international relief organizations, the health of the refugees in Goma was improved: within two months the daily death count dropped from two thousand to around five hundred. At the conclusion of the relief project, the medical station, still in operation, was turned over to the local government.

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