The world of Tzu Chi April 2021 (Vol.133)

Delivering Love through a Million Festive Gift Packs At the end of January 2021, Indonesia logged new record highs in daily Covid-19 cases, surpassing the 10,000 mark. As the Lunar NewYear was approaching, Tzu Chi Indonesia and its Entrepreneurs’ Group purchased 10,000 tonnes of rice and 20 million masks to pack into one million festive gift packs, each with 10 kg of rice and 20 masks, for families impacted by the pandemic. “Thanks Allah! I am in need of rice. Thanks a lot for the provision of rice, it is a great help,” said a beneficiary, Wakado (anonym), who has a stable job selling drinking water to his neighbours. With each bucket priced at IDR1,500 (about 43 sen), he could earn IDR15,000 (about RM4.30) daily. Conveyed along the material provision was the entrepreneurs and volunteers’ wishes for the needy families to tide through the difficulty caused by the pandemic. In order to avoid mass gathering, volunteers distributed vouchers to the beneficiaries from house to house. They could then use the vouchers to redeem their gift pack through the assistance of respective community leaders. [Photo by Anand Yahya]