The world of Tzu Chi September 2020 (Vol.126)

TZU CHI 126 37 easier for parents to recognize and claim them. Volunteers also prepared blessing packages for the 59 teachers and staff, hoping to calm them down with the love from Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide. Principal Ho Siew Leng was moved to tears while she read a letter of consolation from Master Cheng Yen. She was grateful for the amount of aid the school had received, which helped it to recover in the shortest time possible. Loh Siew Cheng, CEO of Tzu Chi Malacca, offered Principal Ho these words of comfort: “Don’t be afraid, we’ll always be here.” On the evening of August 14, over 50 volunteers returned to the school for another round of cleaning in preparation for reopening soonest possible. Sending love to calm students’ fears Volunteers followed up with the conditions of the injured students by contacting their parents. On August 15, they visited the 28 injured students at their homes. To ease their hearts, volunteers brought them a letter of consolation from the Master and a blessing package containing Jing Si’s instant noodles, multi-grain instant mix and vegan nuts floss. Volunteers also visited sisters, Lim Ann Nee and Chin Chin. Ann Nee’s two sons were deeply frightened by the storm. Choo Kai Sheng, a Year 5 student, witnessed the classroom ceiling being blown apart with his own eyes. His brother, Kai Ler, who is in Year 2, suffered a minor injury on his head. Chin Chin’s daughter, See Le Yao, was so terrified of the sudden storm that she hid under the table. To calm the children’s fears, volunteer Tan Chye Choo, an art therapist, held an art therapy session for them. The second floor of the school building suffered the most damage and the repair work will take one month to complete. To ensure that learning continues, the school hall was partitioned into five temporary classrooms. On August 22, about 60 Tzu Chi volunteers and two charity groups worked together to move the tables and chairs from the damaged classrooms to the school hall, where they were then cleaned and arranged accordingly. Volunteers also visited the hard-hit Taman Malim Permai to assess the damages on August 11, after their visit to the school. On the following day, volunteers presented to 12 affected families Master’s letter of consolation, financial aid and eco-blankets. When a resident, Tan Kim Piew, saw the volunteers visiting the neighbourhood again, he felt very grateful and said, “You were just here yesterday. I didn’t expect you all to come and visit us again today. I’m deeply moved!” He said that this reminded him of the 2006 massive flood in Malacca, where Tzu Chi volunteers delivered warm food to the affected residents as soon as they could and helped clean up their homes. His gratitude towards Tzu Chi remains till this day. The imbalance in Nature has caused the rise in disasters. Fortunately, this storm did not claim any lives. The residents of Malacca are thankful for their safety and for everyone’s love and help.