GREAT LOVE

Great Love 39 Tzu Chi International Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA) TIHAA was formed by volunteers from the Entrepreneurs’ Group in November 2003 out of the compassion of Master Cheng Yen. With their professional expertise, TIHAA members are organized into different functional groups, each in charge of food, clothing, housing, transportation and information & communication respectively. By having a network of global warehousing, TIHAA is able to provide emergency relief supplies to the victims in the most efficient manner and shortest time possible. Since its first international relief mission in the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone, Tzu Chi has extended its international mission to more than 90 countries worldwide. Whenever and wherever a disaster occurs, Tzu Chi will extend its assistance to the victims irrespective of their nationality, race and religion, based on the principles of “directness, priority, respect, practicality and timeliness”. In December 2003, Tzu Chi became an official member of the UN Non Governmental Organizations, and was granted special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in July 2010. Africa – Counter Poverty Programmes, Zimbabwe There were over 1,000 primary school students in Harare (the capital of Zimbabwe), studying in the open under the scorching sun. Master ChengYen was saddened at the sight of this and instructed TIHAA to build makeshift classrooms for the students. Each makeshift classroom is around 100 square feet, which is well ventilated and easy to assemble. As at July 2012, Tzu Chi volunteers had built ten such classrooms in Zimbabwe. Central America – Earthquake, Haiti On January 12, 2010, an earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale hit Haiti. Tzu Chi volunteers were mobilized swiftly to distribute emergency aid as well as conduct cash-for-work programme to clean up the affected areas in Port au Prince. Three schools and nine classrooms were built for The Congregation of Sisters of Saint Anne and the kindergarten of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts respectively. In September 2011, Tzu Chi set up “Moringa Great Love Farms” in the suburbs of Port au Prince to encourage the locals to plant the Moringa Oleifera tree to help solve food shortage.