The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.115).

Tzu Chi’s tradition of home visits, which constitutes a significant part of its charitymission, took root in eastern Taiwan and flourished across the island, eventually expanding its reach to 99 countries and regions worldwide. A number of milestones in Tzu Chi’s history of charity work took shape in Taitung. For one, Tzu Chi organized its first large-scale emergency relief operation in 1969 in the wake of Typhoon Elsie, which caused a blaze in Da’nanVillage, BeinanTownship,Taitung that engulfed 148 houses.When Typhoon Nora left a trail of devastating damage from Yuli in Hualien County to Dawu in Taitung County, Tzu Chi conducted a landmark emergency relief operation that saw an unprecedentedly high amount of financial aid distributed to the highest number of casualties in the organization’s history of disaster relief missions. The Typhoon Nora operation was also significant for its role in catalysing the formation of a structured framework for Tzu Chi’s future disaster relief operations. Furthermore, the circumstances of the disaster prompted Master Cheng Yen’s decision to ensure that no funds donated for a stated purpose be used for another purpose – a dictum that has since become a guiding principle in Tzu Chi’s future large-scale emergency relief efforts. Tzu Chi’s charity mission has since progressed by leaps and bounds over the past few decades, from its humble beginnings of adopting 13 care recipients in a year to large-scale typhoon relief distribution missions that brought hope to thousands of beneficiaries in the 1970s. These outreach missions laid the groundwork for the development of standardized procedures to facilitate the efficient implementation of disaster relief operations as well as the provision of long-term care through regular visits to the needy. Fifty Years of Tzu Chi in Taitung TZU CHI 115 05