The world of Tzu Chi January 2021 (Vol.130)

2021 • 01 10 eature negative impact of the pandemic still lingered. Industries directly related to tourism, such as airlines, retails and hotels, were the most affected as they were still unable to recover even 50% of their businesses. He added, “Even the local shops within the community have yet to recover as people now prefer takeaways or prepare their own meals. It’s hard to return to the time where we would go out shopping and spend, not to mention the third wave now, which continues to keep people at home.” Thus, even if economic activities restart, the world has become different. Many businesses are forced to scale-down and exercise retrenchment and pay cuts. These actions affect the livelihoods of many families. When the society was enveloped in gloom and the unemployment rate became worrying, Tzu Chi KL & Selangor promptly made plans to actively raise funds. They officially launched the “Kita1Keluarga” relief programme on July 12, 2020, aimed at helping poor local families suffering from financial difficulties. Prior to the launch, Tzu Chi volunteers visited low-cost flats to extend their care door-to-door. This led to the discovery that many still had unstable incomes. “Kita1Keluarga” means “we are one family”. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country with people of all races living together. The cultural diversity and multi-language capability have become unique features, and present a national advantage that Malaysians are proud of. After the Covid-19 outbreak, the Malaysian government called its people to exercise the spirit of “Kita jaga kita”, hoping that people of all races will support and take care of one another, while fighting the pandemic hand in hand. The main purpose of the “Kita1Keluarga” relief programme was to provide practical assistance to poor families in the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor regions, whose household incomes were affected by the pandemic, over a three-month period. Lim Mei Mei, a key person-in-charge of the programme, explained, “This is a global disaster. We can’t wait for others to help us. We must help our own people. Everyone is suffering, but there are people who suffer more than us. The blessed are to help the troubled. We hope to initiate a cycle of kindness in society.” Volunteers also actively promoted the virtue of kindness to the beneficiaries by introducing the spirit of the Bamboo Bank Era, encouraging them to help others. Moreover, volunteers also advocated the concept of vegetarianism, as the Master preached, “This pandemic serves as a great lesson for all. Promote the idea of eating less meat to save the Earth and encourage everyone to embrace vegetarianism.” Mei Mei mused, “We’re actually blessed. Our lives may not be easy, but it’s manageable. Can we keep our lives simpler? This will reduce the damage on Earth. Some people think that a vegetarian diet lacks nutrition. We hope to dispel that misconception.” In fact, the significance of the relief programme was to foster the spirit of mutual help and support among the people, thereby garnering kindness and bringing more blessings to Malaysia. From July 12 to 28, 2020, a total of 4,381 applications were received, and the 2,178 eligible households (9,178 people) were granted monthly financial aid of between RM300 and RM800, from September to November 2020, depending on family circumstances.