FIRST TO ARRIVE, LAST TO LEAVE IN A CRISIS

AS WELL AS DISASTER RELIEF, THE GROUP PROVIDES EDUCATION, MEDICAL CARE, EVEN A BONE MARROW REGISTRY AND HAS A FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.

Who would have thought Taiwan was a good friend to have in a disaster? How many people know about the Tzu Chi Foundation?

Driven by Buddhist tenets of love and compassion, the group is Taiwan’s biggest humanitarian and non-government organisation.

Founded by Buddhist nun Cheng Yen in 1966, Tzu Chi has grown from a small group of housewives, saving a few cents each week to help the underprivileged, to some 10 million volunteers and supporters in more than 90 countries worldwide.

On a mission to relieve suffering through compassion, the foundation mobilises wherever disaster strikes, from Nepal to Sri Lanka, Japan to the US, Tzu Chi volunteers have offered a helping hand for just more than 50 years. Foundation volunteers have been working in China since 1991, through earthquakes and droughts, typhoons and floods, offering “no strings attached” aid.

In fact, Tzu Chi was the first NGO to be legally registered in China.

The foundation’s work extends to helping the poor, sick, elderly, the disabled and people in short-term crisis. As well as disaster relief, the group provides education, medical care, even a bone marrow registry and has a focus on environmental protection. And a massive recycling operation, not just in Taiwan but throughout the world, transforms plastic bottles into eco-blankets, clothing, scarves and shoes for distribution in disaster zones. Regular, small donations from working people around the globe keep the organisation functioning and “compassion technology” keeps it at the forefront of disaster relief. Tzu Chi develops everything from temporary housing and solar-powered water purifiers to mobile kitchens and rescue boats.

And their commitment is to be “the first to arrive and the last to leave”.