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

TZU CHI 122 37 in the whole of Sierra Leone. When a hospital of this scale does so poorly, what must it be like for other medical facilities around the nation? Everything is in short supply. There is an inadequate number of physicians, an inadequate number of beds, an inadequate number of everything. The only thing not in short supply are patients – there never seems to be an end to them. The country’s medical conditions are in shambles, but the educational sector is doing hardly any better. The law requires nine years of free and compulsory schooling, but a shortage of schools, teachers, and funding has made implementation unfeasible. Sierra Leone emerged from 11 years of devastating civil conflict in January 2002. The war led to the destruction of nearly 1,300 primary schools. Near the end of the war, in 2001, 67 percent of school-age children were not attending school. Though the situation has greatly improved since then, there is still a long way to go to reach the nation’s basic requirements. Lending a helping hand Covering an area of 71,740 square kilometres (27,700 square miles), Sierra Leone is twice the size of Taiwan. The nation is rich in natural resources, including diamonds, gold and titanium ore. Even so, a high percentage of its seven million people still live below the poverty line. Inadequate medical care, insufficient educational resources, poor public infrastructure—when you look at all the problems the country is facing, you cannot help but wonder what on earth went wrong. Is it the nation’s governance? Poor efficiency? Human factors or other issues? Whatever the reasons, they were not something a foreigner like me who was only there for a short time could fully comprehend. When I returned to my hotel, I pushed open my window and looked out at the peaceful sea again. As I took in that picturesque, 160-dollars- a-day view, the agitation I was feeling from my trip around town gradually began to subside. As I stood there, looking out, my thoughts turned to the locals I saw on the streets struggling to make a living. I felt guilty at how expensive my accommodation was in comparison. However, guilty or not, I did not have much choice in the matter. Without exception, hotel rooms in Sierra Leone cost upwards of USD100 a night. How can they charge such prices and get away with it? It is because they cater to foreigners, not the locals. Why do foreigners visit Sierra Leone? For most, it is not the sightseeing.Alarge proportion of foreigners consist of businesspeople in the country seeking business opportunities. Another large group is NGO personnel who are in the nation to implement humanitarian aid work. I was in this latter category. I had come to the country with a group of Tzu Chi volunteers, who had paid their own way to carry out the foundation’s philanthropic work for people in need. They were also learning more about what the foundation could do for a nation rated as one of the poorest in the world. Tzu Chi has aided the underserved in Sierra Leone since 2015, in the hope of bringing some relief to a people who have suffered through a brutal decade-long civil war, a deadly Ebola virus epidemic from 2014 to 2016, and recent devastating natural disasters. Without a doubt, this is a country in which Tzu Chi will continue to expend its resources and efforts. When will their efforts bear fruit? I am not sure. But I am positive they will keep at their work, without complaint, because they know that they are just doing what humans should do.