The world of Tzu Chi April 2020 (Vol.121)

eature O n March 25, a group of Tzu Chi KL & Selangor volunteers and staff delivered a month’s worth of food rations to 40 families of the students of Unity School and Harmony School, refugee schools co-founded by the organization and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The food ration packs, consisting 12 types of ingredients including rice, flour, noodles, biscuits, cocoa powder, eggs and oil, offered timely relief to the refugee households, who subsist on daily wages and have been deprived of work opportunities due to the MCO. “We received calls from the refugee students who informed us that their food supplies at home have been depleted, some dating as far back as several days. Hence, we responded immediately by initiating an emergency relief operation,” recounted Dr. Foo Seay Liang, UNHCR-Tzu Chi Project Coordinator. Following the distress call, teachers from both refugee schools contacted over 400 students one by one to assess their families’ circumstances, before compiling a list of households in need of assistance. Despite various obstacles, the emergency relief operation was made possible with the close cooperation from the volunteers and staff in planning and procuring food supplies, delegating responsibilities and arranging for transportation. Dr. Foo also provided medical treatment to a refugee parent with the flu. Emergency food supplies for refugees [Photograph by Leong Chian Yee] Watch the video at: 2020 • 04 12