The world of Tzu Chi Jan-Feb 2022 (Vol.139)

2022 • 02 22 pecial Feature Celebrating a new season: A little goes a long way We have all weathered a tough year of Covid curbs, losses and floods. Moving forward, the Chinese are eager to usher in the Lunar NewYear this February. It signals new beginnings and a renewed hope that things will get better. Lim Lian Tin, 74, is no different from any of us, though she had lived through the trauma of having her house hit by the flood. She repainted her house by herself, to reduce the cost of home repair. The cash relief came as a pleasant surprise. Now she is able to use it to get herself some new clothes and shoes, food and necessities. As her vegetable garden was destroyed by the flood, the extra cash would help her buy some seedlings to get the vegetables sprouting again. The recent catastrophe has dawned on her that happiness does not depend on the abundance of things. Like the seedlings, another season will sprout once again. Cash to rebuild my home Lim Sook Lan lives with her mother and younger brother. She was thankful that when the tumultuous flood hit at midnight, there was a Malay individual who carried her mother on his back, and led her to safety. It was like a scene in a movie. It was a shocking sight. The brick walls at the front of her house had collapsed and the zinc sheets on the roof were overturned too. Some Samaritans brought her cement, bricks and other materials while her relatives and friends gave her some money to fix the broken walls. “The cash aid from Tzu Chi came in time, and it is just what I need most. I need money to buy building materials and to pay for the reconstruction work.” The tearful Lim said the cash relief would definitely lessen her family’s burden. Left with just four bare walls Sixty-eight-year-old Lee Kim Lu is asthmatic and lives alone. He recalled having to sleep on the bench in the basketball court for three days. “This 70-year-old house is now a mud house, and all the furniture and appliances were destroyed; only two or three plastic chairs are still functioning. There are cracks on the walls and doors, so I have to replace them,” said Lee. He is grateful for the help extended by Tzu Chi volunteers and other organizations. It was his most desperate moment and he could not be more thankful to these kind individuals who helped to clean up the house. He even got a used bed from a generous individual. Lee plans to use this cash relief to repair the room doors before renting out the room. This will help support him; it is his wish for the new year.