ENVELOPING THE WORLD WITH GREAT LOVE

On January 25, 1999, an earthquake measuring six on the Richter scale occurred in Colombia. The death toll rose to over a thousand and 150,000 people became homeless.

Five days later, a Tzu Chi fact-finding team arrived in Bogota, the national capital. On February 8, the volunteers surveyed the hard-hit cities of Armenia and Calarca. They found that almost eighty-five percent of the buildings were either destroyed or half-destroyed, forcing survivors to camp out on the roadside. There was also a severe shortage of food and medicine. The volunteers entrusted 280 first aid kits and two thousand packs of children's food they had brought with them to the Red Cross in Armenia for distribution to the victims.

A Japanese medical team, Medecins Sans Frontieres and the International Red Cross were all present to bring relief to quake survivors. To avoid overlapping of resources, Tzu Chi met with the local government and Red Cross to coordinate relief efforts. It was decided that Tzu Chi would distribute two months' worth of food to over four thousand refugees and conduct a two-day free clinic in the cities of Calarca, Circasia and Finlandia.

Because Tzu Chi had no office in Colombia, the relief operation was the joint effort of fifty Tzu Chi members from the United States, Argentina and Taiwan. Workers of the Colombian Red Cross and local high school students also gave much support, helping overcome difficulties in language, transportation and manpower.

Isabella, a local volunteer who served as translator, said, "Many people are unable to empathize with the victims. Tzu Chi people not only gave goods, they also embraced and interacted with the victims, which made them feel loved and cared for."

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