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COVID19

  • “A bowl of plain rice with a fried egg is enough to make us feel contented as it has been a long time since we last had such a full meal,” said a Myanmar refugee as she choked with gratitude over the phone. This made volunteer See Kok Cha realize how easy it is to bring happiness to people who are suffering.

     

    Tzu Chi is collaborating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to launch the Covid-19 CBI project* to assist refugees in Malaysia. Since the commencement of the CBI project in April this year, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor hotline had successively received numerous reports about refugees who were evicted from their homes because they could no longer pay the rent and also families that were on the verge of running out of food and staples. Considering the fact that the refugees were in urgent need of food assistance, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor set up a Food Care project for refugees in mid-August this year, to hand out cash vouchers to families in need so that they could buy food at designated supermarkets during this period.

    Volunteer See Kok Cha took on the role of the distribution team leader of the community’s Covid-19 CBI project. According to the information gathered from volunteers’ phone interviews with refugees and distribution reports, Kok Cha was saddened to learn that the refugees had no money, no job and were on the verge of running out of food amid the pandemic. Therefore, when he was approached to be the team leader of the distribution team for the Food Care project, not only did he feel obliged to do so, but he also readily participated in the distribution in view of the high number of applicants.

  • In light of the high number of Covid-19 cases, the Government imposed stricter lockdown in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, in an effort to break the transmission chains. As a result of the movement restrictions, 2,450 low-income households in eight localities were at risk of having no food. Learning of their plight, Tzu Chi reached out to them with a week’s food supplies.

  • Having lost his job due to the pandemic, Myanmar refugee Mohd Rafik bin Md Ilyas scrapes by on scavenging. His family was evicted from their rented house as he was three months in rent arrears. To compound matters, his wife was due to deliver their baby and they desperately needed a place to settle down…

  • As Covid-19 cases remain high, the Malaysian Government has planned to collaborate with private hospitals and clinics to set up another five large-scale vaccination centres in the capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Prior to this, Tzu Chi has offered its premises, the KL Tzu-Chi Jing Si Hall to be used at no cost, as a vaccination centre to help expedite the country’s vaccination effort in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic and to safeguard the health of the public.

  • Covid-19 situation is now severe in Malaysia with daily new cases surpassing the 7,000-mark. Following the hike in severe cases, the ICUs in designated Covid-19 hospitals nationwide are operating near capacity. Learning that the Sungai Buloh Hospital was in urgent need of more ICU equipment to cope with a surge in severe Covid-19 patients, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor immediately responded by donating some much-needed equipment to the hospital.

  • “Since the start of the pandemic, I have only managed to live on bread, biscuits and plain water almost daily. I went out to buy food once a week, and my mobile phone had run out of credit, so I could not make calls. I was disconnected from the outside world...”

  • The Covid-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the tourism industry, causing loss of income to trishaw riders and bringing further hardship to their already hard lives. Therefore, on December 2, 2020, Tzu Chi Malacca volunteers began distributing cash aid amounting between RM400 and RM600 to help them tide over their plights.

  • As the pandemic has impacted the lives of some indigenous people, Tzu Chi volunteers delivered relief supplies and extended care to them. Volunteers also grabbed the opportunity to share the concepts of recycling and environmental protection.

  • On September 1, 2020, a new Covid-19 cluster was detected in Lahad Datu, Sabah. On September 26, after the Sabah state election, more cases were reported in Lahad Datu and Tawau. Since mid-September, Tzu Chi has been delivering preventive medical supplies to various parts of Sabah. This is made possible with contributions from the general public.

  • On 19 September 2020, some 20 children and their parents gathered online for the “Family Fun Mandala Art” class, held in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Riding on the sense of achievement and delight fostered between the parents and children, session moderator, Teacher Chong Siew Fun, highlighted the other core purpose of this special session – to raise fund in support of Tzu Chi’s “Kita1Keluarga” relief programme.

  • The following report summarizes the relief actions of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) in response to COVID-19 in Haiti.

  • Indonesia (BTCF)- The following report summarizes Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) relief actions in Indonesia as of 29 April.

  • The following report summarizes the relief actions of Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the African Region including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Eswatini, and Sierra Leone.

  • Philippines (BTCF)- The following report summarizes Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (BTCF) relief actions in the Philippines from 14 to 28 April.