The world of Tzu Chi September 2024 (Vol.151)

2024 • 09 26 timely support from Tzu Chi provided further strength to the family. The power of compassion Since the 1990s, Tzu Chi Malacca volunteers had been visiting Malacca General Hospital weekly to offer comfort to patients. During one visit in 2011, they noticed Chan Hong’s father, who appeared downcast and troubled. After learning of his situation, the volunteers reported the case to Tzu Chi Malacca, which led to a home visit to assess the family’s needs. Volunteers discovered that Mrs. Ee, a Nyonya, spoke only Malay and Hokkien, and had limited contact with the outside world. Despite her concern for her husband, she lacked transportation to visit him, nor could she go out to shop. The volunteers provided emergency assistance, besides driving Mrs. Ee to buy groceries and taking the family to visit King Kiat in the hospital. Subsequently, the volunteers helped the family repair their roof and apply for government welfare assistance, took turns to send the children to and from school for the short term, and joined hands with teachers to support Chan Hong in obtaining his driver’s licence. The three siblings also benefitted from the Tzu Chi Study & Awards Scheme. Grateful for the kindness shown to his family, Chan Hong would volunteer at the nearby Tzu Chi recycling centre or recycling point whenever possible, to repay society. Step by step towards his dream Volunteer Lee Chew Yee recalled that during their initial visits to Chan Hong’s home, they noticed that he was calm and composed. Hence, she advised him to not just focus on his studies, but also take on some household responsibilities. Knowing that Chan Hong had always dreamt of becoming a teacher but failed to secure admission to a teacher’s college after secondary school, Chew Yee analysed for him the pros and cons of furthering education and joining the workforce. She then suggested that he enrol in a business programme at Merlimau Polytechnic in Malacca while waiting for future opportunities. This allowed him to stay close to home, so he could assist with household chores and tutor his younger sisters during weekends and school holidays. After graduating from the polytechnic, Chan Hong persevered and was eventually accepted into Sultan Idris Education University in Perak. By that time, his father’s health had stabilised. Although he had to rely on government loans and Tzu Chi’s educational subsidies, and lived frugally, he described this period as the happiest of his life as he was finally on the path to realising his dream. Whenever Chan Hong returned home for semester breaks, he would work part-time at a supermarket or a vegetarian restaurant. He had also served as a substitute teacher in primary and secondary schools, and offered tuition to underprivileged students. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools suspended physical classes, he even worked as a janitor at a primary school. He always found joy in education-related jobs. In 2022, after graduating from university and at volunteers’ invitation, Chan Hong began volunteering at a tuition class organised by Tzu Chi for the children of its care recipients. Teaching secondary school students Malay