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News Update of Tzu Chi's Relief Efforts in Haiti
2010/02/12
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti on January 12,2010. Tzu Chi immediately established a Haiti relief coordination centerin Tzu Chi USA headquarters (San Dimas, CA). On January 13, Tzu Chi Haitirelief coordination center held meetings with its nationwide regionaldirectors. The focuses of Tzu Chi’s immediate relief in Haiti are: (1) Relief aid distribution; 2) relief work program; (3) Medical and spiritualassistance, and (4) Global fundraising. Tzu Chi’s relief team and doctors fromTIMA (Tzu Chi International Medical Association) have been on standby fordispatch since January 13. In addition, Tzu Chi initiated a globalfundraising campaign, with 35 countries (including Tzu Chi Foundation Canada)participating in the campaign. Tzu Chi relief goods (including tarps, tents, 500portable restrooms, instant rice, instant corn powder, reusable utensils,eco-friendly blankets, medical kits, and other food) are continuously beingshipped into Haiti. Tzu Chi relief assessment team (allvolunteers) visited orphanages, schools and churches to determine a suitablesite to establish a relief coordination centre at Haiti.
Summary of Tzu Chi Global’s Relief Effort in Haiti since January 29, 2010:
| Date | Location/NumberOf volunteers invloved | Relief Material Distributed | # of people benefiting | Remarks | | Jan. 29 | An orphanage in Penier | Instant corn powder, cooking oil, milk powder, beans, oatmeal, rice, gas stoves and 300 sets of reusable utensils | About 150 people including orphans and staff. | Tzu Chi USA Branch previously provided assistance to this orphanage in January 2009 | | Feb. 1 | At IHCD in the City of Tabarre./ 75 volunteers (including Tzu Chi volunteers from the U.S., Dominican Republic and Haiti, local residents, Haitian police and peacekeepers) were mobilized. | Instant rice, instant corn powder and reusable utensils. | About 3,000 people. | Nicole at IHCD said that Tzu Chi not only provided food to the survivors, Tzu Chi also showed respect and love thus gave the survivors dignity and hope. | | Feb. 6 | The city of Tabarre | Tzu Chi Medical & dental team provided services to the survivors | | The team also provided servic
es to the peacekeepers that were helping to provide relief work and security protection. | | Feb. 8 | Relief Work Program around Impact for God Church. | To provide the participant/survivors meals and cash in exchange for clean-up work in their local communities. Each participant earns about US$5/day (paid on a weekly basis) and receives hot meals for their family members and themselves. | About 150 people are divided into14 teams in this program, each team has about 10 to 11 members. | The program gives the survivors not only urgently-needed food and cash, but also a sense of hope and respect. | | Feb. 10 | St. Mary Church/62 volunteers (including Tzu Chi volunteers, medical doctors, local church volunteers) were mobilized | Rice, beans buckets and reusable utensils | 2,290 people received relief goods. | The peacekeepers at the distribution site providing security protection said that Tzu Chi’s relief goods distribution was the most touching and heart-warming distribution they have ever seen. | | Feb. 11 | Impact for God Church/85 volunteers (including 16 Tzu Chi volunteers from the relief team, 5 Tzu Chi medical team personnel, 4 Tzu Chi volunteers from Haiti and 60 participants from the relief work program) were mobilized. | Each person received: · A bucket of rice (10 kg.) · A bucket of red beans (5 kg.) · 2 sets of reusable
utensils and bowls | Approximately 8,500 people | To-day’s aid dist ribution program turns the survivors into volunteers to help the people in their own communities. | | Feb. 12 | Impact for God Church | Prayer Services for the victims and survivors. | | A month after the quake in Haiti, Tzu Chi held a joint prayer service for the survivors in the area. |
Inthe next few weeks, Tzu Chi will gradually enter into mid-long term reliefphase in Haiti. Tzu Chi will continue to assess the situationand develop a detailed long-term reconstruction plan. (Pictures from the Tzu Chi Relief Coordination Centre at Haiti)   (Left) On February 6, survivors' campsite was full of garbage. (Right) On February 10, thanks to the relief work program, the same campsite was cleaned and tidy.   (Left) February 8, start to clean the street. (Right) February 10, scene of the same street.
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