The world of Tzu Chi April 2021 (Vol.133)

2021 • 04 14 eature work behind the scenes. I hope that the Government will value the need for social workers, and establish laws to recognize their statuses.” He also shared some of the social phenomena he observed in the UK when he furthered his studies there many years ago. “Back then, The Guardian had a special section devoted to social issues every Wednesday. Next to it, there would be a whole page on social worker vacancies. Social workers are treated very differently in Western countries compared to Asian countries. Therefore, I started devoting myself to the education sector upon my return, hoping to nurture more social workers here.” When Ai Hua’s colleague went to the UK to pursue his PhD in sociology, he was enlightened by an episode. At that time, he brought his family, including a child with learning disabilities along. To his surprise, three days after he reported to the university, a social worker visited his family. It turned out that the social worker from the local government had been notified by the university that the child of an international student had special needs. Therefore, the social worker immediately paid the family a visit to conduct assessment and see how to help enrol the child to a suitable school, besides recommending other rehabilitation services. Later, when this colleague returned to Malaysia to collect data, he sought out Ai Hua and exclaimed, “Now I understand what social work is and how important it is!” In addition to serving his university, Tzu Chi launched the cash-for-work relief programme to help flood victims clean-up their homes. This also helped restore their sense of purpose and dignity. [Photo by Lee Wei Kean]