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

2020 • 05 42 ocal News Translated by Translating Team On March 27, 2020, five households were implicated in a fire incident in Taman Sri Keningau, Sabah, but fortunately no casualties were reported. The blaze was caused by an abnormal current surge in the electric circuit connected to the kitchen switch, compounded by rainwater seeping into the power source. Volunteers arrived at the site of the incident the following morning to evaluate the needs of the fire victims and distributed monetary assistance and thermal blankets to the five affected families at 1:00 p.m. The families were unable to prepare their own meals as their kitchen utensils had all been destroyed in the fire. Therefore, the volunteers decided to supply the families with warm vegetarian meal packs whenever needed during the MCO period to spare them the hassle of ordering takeaways, enabling them to focus on rebuilding their homes in peace. The packed meals not only provided warmth from the inside; some of the victims even expressed their support for a vegetarian diet. Keningau 2020.03.28 Reported by Chong Wun Hong Photograph by Penky Lim Kah San Since the implementation of the MCO in mid- March, Tzu Chi Malaysia has ceased all group activities nationwide. Nevertheless, volunteers based in the KL & Selangor region started organizing weekly online group study sessions via video conferencing platform Zoom in the spirit of fellowship, as volunteers across the region bonded and spread positive vibes with the assistance of technology. In addition to preparing English subtitles for pre-recorded videos, volunteers from the English-speaking Group also translated the content of the online study group sessions into English in real time, enabling fellow English-speaking volunteers to participate in the sessions by listening to the discussions and following the subtitles simultaneously. For now, online fellowship sessions provide an ideal avenue for volunteers to connect and continue learning even under containment measures. Staying Connected Online KL & Selangor 2020.03–04 Compiled by Gan Chian Nee Photograph courtesy of Tan Soon Hock Warming Hearts with WarmVegetarian Meals