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

2021 • 04 28 eature react, their opinions must ultimately be respected. Weng Loon lamented, “Empathy, it is easy to say, but how many of us can really do it? Everyone has his or her own ideas. We must always think from that person’s perspective and make appropriate suggestions based on his or her ability.” There is never a right or wrong way to help people. The difference lies in whether we can appropriately define the problems faced by the persons concerned and provide care and assistance accordingly. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic was raging. In order to maintain a safe social distance, volunteers were unable to make monthly home visits. So, they resolved to calling the care recipients to express their care and concern. During the water rationing period, the volunteers paid special attention to the elderly who lived alone and families with special needs. They have never stopped caring, they only make changes and adjustments in their response to different situations, while showing the same compassionate and altruistic heart. Reminding and mediating for better results Nowadays, at Tzu Chi KL & Selangor office, each social worker has to handle an average of 200 to 300 cases. Fortunately, there are teams of volunteers assisting in home visits and assessments. Whenever the staff notice cases that require adjustments, they can bring to attention to the respective home visit team leaders. Likewise, when the team leaders encounter a problem, they can always ask for assistance. Such cooperation and mutual understanding between the volunteers and staff, plus the growing experience and ability of volunteers, have enabled the teams to oversee more cases in a shorter time. In carrying out social work, one must understand what are the resources available from the Government and what kind of assistance various NGOs can provide, while providing assistance to the case soonest. The principle of Tzu Chi’s relief work is to make up for the Government’s shortcomings. In addition to emergency relief, they also actively help the persons concerned to become independent again in the shortest timeframe. Most cases that come to Tzu Chi concern challenges in life. Tzu Chi will help them tide over the difficulty and slowly guide them to re- adapt to society and rediscover their own value. Hence, social workers need to stay updated with current trends and happenings in society, in order to better understand the needs and thoughts of the aid recipients, to effectively resolve the problems. What distinguished Tzu Chi from most other NGOs is its substantial volunteer resources. The volunteers who help on the frontlines and the staff who play a supporting role, work seamlessly together. The reality is that everyone has a different life experience, and no one can be a hundred percent objective. Therefore, by involving a team in the home visits and assessments, it helps with rational judgements. In the process, social workers are responsible to remind the volunteers and mediate when a need arises. Volunteer Kho Pei Ching, who has been a Tzu Chi volunteer for nearly a decade, commented that although Weng Loon is quite new to Tzu Chi, he is equipped with professional knowledge in social work. “Just look for him for any problems we face!” Her words indicated complete trust for the staff.