Tzu Chi prays, donates for quake victims

Doctors, volunteers, staff and patients at the Tzu Chi Eye Center in Manila have been offering prayers and conducting donation drives for Myanmar’s earthquake victims every day since 31 March.

 “I felt so sorry for those who lost their lives and loved ones,” said patient Lisa Sua on the Facebook page of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation Philippines, which operates the center. “Putting myself in their shoes, I would be devastated, so I prayed very sincerely for them. I hope that it would reach the victims. I do not have much to give, but I can offer those prayers from my heart.”

Another patient, Roberto De Guzman, donated cash to the donation box being carried around the center by Tzu Chi volunteers.

“When our countrymen needed help during typhoon ‘Haiyan,’ they extended assistance so if I could give more I would do so,” he said.

In Taiwan, the monastics at the Jing Si Abode led Tzu Chi staff and volunteers in a prayer for Myanmar. Tzu Chi volunteers in Mozambique and Syrian refugees in Turkey organized their own prayer gatherings to send love to those affected.

Across the world, Tzu Chi volunteers are also sending help for the disaster victims. Tzu Chi’s headquarters in Taiwan began mobilizing resources and coordinating with local volunteers in Myanmar to provide essential aid and support to those affected. Relief materials, including blankets, multi-grain energy bars, packages of instant rice and other non-perishable food items, were now awaiting approval from the Myanmar government for transportation and delivery to the affected communities.

In Indonesia, support from the military allowed Tzu Chi to prepare and deliver emergency supplies to Myanmar in stages. The relief items included blankets, power generators, mosquito nets, plastic mats, hygiene kits, medical masks and instant noodles.

In Thailand, which was also partly affected by the earthquake, local Tzu Chi volunteers provided multilingual support by assisting in translation of Chinese, English and Thai between the locals and the international rescue teams.