The World Of Tzu Chi December 2019 (Vol.117)

2019 • 12 36 Unity across borders Canoa was once an idyllic coastal town boasting scenic views of nature, surrounded by lush greenery. The locals live life at a leisurely pace, enjoying the abundant harvest yielded from fruit orchards and bountiful catches from the sea. The seaside locale also received a steady stream of tourists that contributed to its flourishing tourism industry. But a violent 7.8-magnitude earthquake sent shockwaves across Canoa on April 16, 2016, tearing apart the picturesque town. The church was sent crashing to the ground, reduced to ruins in a matter of seconds amidst the horrified cries of churchgoers. Sister Mercedes Ajila of the Franciscan Sisters of Canoa was heartbroken, pacing amongst the rubble with tears in her eyes as she prayed for guidance from the powers above in restoring the church to its former glory. Eleven days after the earthquake, a group of nine volunteers travelled to five hard-hit cities across the province of Manabi, witnessing widespread damage along the way. After due assessment, Tzu Chi decided to support the livelihood of the locals and breathe new life into the battered disaster sites by implementing the cash-for-work programme. An average daily wage of USD12 was the norm for the locals, while Tzu Chi offered a daily rate of USD15 (approximately RM63). A total of 34,121 temporary work opportunities were created between May 6 and 31, 2016, mobilizing those affected by the disaster to clean up their neighbourhoods. The locals were suspicious towards the initiative at first, but word spread about its legitimacy when the participating locals were rewarded with the promised wages by the end of the inaugural shift. Since then, the number of participants grew exponentially by the day, culminating in the thousands as the programme was launched in other regions across Ecuador, including Manta, Portoviejo, Canoa, Pedernales and Jama. On January 18, 2017, several Tzu Chi USA volunteers travelled to Canoa to present a relief plan that was devised with the locals’ long-term interests in mind. The volunteers proposed the reconstruction of the local church – a religious complex that also houses living quarters for the priests and nuns as well as spaces that function to serve the community, such as classrooms. The church reconstruction project was an emotional journey for Tzu Chi USA volunteer Martin Kuo, who was in charge of coordinating the project. He recalled the encounter between Master Cheng Yen and three Catholic nuns in 1966 that led to the founding of Tzu Chi. In the lobal Presence