The world of Tzu Chi December 2020(Vol.129)

2020 • 12 40 lobal News Since it made landfall on November 1, 2020, Typhoon Goni had battered the Philippines, displacing tens of thousands of people, with at least 20 dead. On November 4, Tzu Chi Philippines arrived in Batangas, a city 110 km south of Manila, to conduct disaster assessments as well as launch cash-for- relief operations. 562 residents from the nine streets of the Tierra Verde Subdivision joined the clean-up initiative and restored their homes. They each received 1,000 pesos (approximately RM85) as relief funds per day for their participation. As of November 15, Tzu Chi Philippines had launched the cash-for-relief operations in three other hard-hit regions, namely Marikina, San Mateo and Albay. Its effectiveness and the ongoing expression of love and kind thoughts was evident. Philippines 2020.11 Cash-for-Relief at Batangas Post Typhoon Goni As of November 2020, over 8 million of the 1.3 billion population in India had been diagnosed with Covid-19. Its number of cases ranks second highest in the world. Due to travel restrictions, Tzu Chi volunteers from abroad could not enter the nation to reach out to the needy. Tzu Chi therefore collaborated with various organizations which included Camillians, Missionaries of Charity and two Tibetan Buddhist monasteries to distribute relief supplies. Between April and October 2020, over 10,000 households had received aid. Camillians delivered provisions from Tzu Chi to 13 states. They included India’s capital, New Delhi, Assam and Gujarat. Calcutta was covered by a collaboration with Missionaries of Charity, an organization established by the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Mother Teresa. India 2020.11 Inter-religious Collaboration to Reach Out to India Reported by Tzu Chi Documenting Team Translated by Lim Wen Xin Photographs courtesy of Tzu Chi Taiwan