The world of Tzu Chi May 2020 (Vol.122)

A lifeline for refugees T he United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sought assistance from Tzu Chi KL & Selangor to disburse monetary assistance to refugee households, building upon the Cash-based Intervention (CBI) programme. Four Tzu Chi chapters across Malaysia coordinated an online briefing session to establish a consensus on the guidelines implemented to ensure the safety of both the volunteers and the beneficiaries in the distribution process. To minimize the risk of infection, the volunteers conducted assessment interviews over the phone in place of the usual practice of home visits and completed the assessment forms provided by the UNHCR based on the information obtained. Upon evaluation and approval from the UNHCR, refugee households eligible for assistance received monetary relief ranging from RM180 to RM600 according to household size and circumstances. “The refugees were only able to communicate in simple English or Bahasa Malaysia, so the volunteers had to be conversant in both languages. Furthermore, the volunteers had to obey the ‘one person per car’ rule when driving to the distribution site. Only two volunteers were allowed access to the distribution site at a time. We also had to report to the respective police stations in advance. Time was at a premium,” volunteer Yap Poh Wee elaborated, recounting the obstacles faced by the volunteers in reaching the refugees. Fatimah, a pregnant mother from Myanmar with a four-year-old daughter and 15-month- old son, confided to volunteer Cheak Wei Ying that the family had been scraping by on their savings after her husband lost his job as a carpenter two months before the MCO began. She was worried about being unable to afford checking into a hospital to await delivery. On April 21, not long after Wei Ying had submitted Fatimah’s application for aid, she received a phone call from the latter, informing her that she had started experiencing labour pains. Wei Ying advised Fatimah to admit herself to the hospital and requested her husband Ho Chan Won to deliver the monetary aid to the hospital, reaching Fatimah in the nick of time. Fatimah’s child was safely delivered on the night of April 22. Reported by Tan Kim Hion Photograph courtesy of China Press Translated by Choo Suet Fun eature 2020 • 05 12