ENVELOPING THE WORLD WITH GREAT LOVE

In late 1997 and early 1998, Peru, usually dry and with little rainfall, experienced heavy floods under the influence of El Nino, the southward-flowing ocean current off the coast of Peru that causes environmental and climatic disturbances every few years. The floods killed over three hundred people, affected seventy thousand families and destroyed schools and medical stations. The floodwaters created the perfect condition for outbreaks of malaria, cholera, conjunctivitis and skin diseases.

Tzu Chi members from the United States evaluated the situation in May, and in mid-August a relief project was implemented. The distribution centered on seventeen towns in the three harder-hit areas of Lambayeque, Ferrenafe and Chiclayo counties. Food, drinking water, blankets, mosquito nets, waterproof sheets and first aid kits were distributed to two thousand households in these three counties. Free clinics providing both Chinese and Western medicines were simultaneously held at the distribution sites.

There were huts built by other relief groups, but they would last only one to two years. Tzu Chi therefore decided to provide building materials and tools for the construction of brick houses to residents in six hard-hit villages in Chiclayo County. Three months later, when the houses were completed, the local government, moved by the efforts of the volunteers, decided to construct water and electricity supply systems for the villages.

Once the villagers were resettled, the women began to engage in piecework. A twelve-hour workday earned them US$6, and their lives markedly improved. Chang Chao-nan, a volunteer who participated in the relief project, said, "These villagers, living in brick houses and working for a limited amount of income, have displayed tenacity and contentment that is truly moving."

Another volunteer, Chang Chi-chin, remarked, "When we went to the villages to congratulate them on moving into their new homes, they thanked us with bright smiles, home-grown fruit and exuberant cheering. It was then that we realized how significant our humble efforts have been to them."

When the relief project reached its conclusion, Tzu Chi volunteers in Peru and Argentina continued to follow the developments in Chiclayo and to provide assistance where there was need.

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