The world of Tzu Chi July-August 2022 (Vol.142)

2022 • 08 38 Report and photos by Tsze Hut Sea Translated by Erika Siah ouching Life Story Finally, a Safe Home Tzu Chi care recipient Chu Ah Heng and family had been living in a 40-year-old rundown wooden house on stilts. As the corridor and connecting bridge were damaged, his kids had sustained injuries from falls multiple times. Well aware of his financial predicament, Tzu Chi volunteers decided to fund the cost of building materials and assist the family in rebuilding their home. “P lease maintain a safe distance when you walk, and do not fall.” Whenever Tzu Chi volunteers arrived and were crossing the wobbly bridge leading to care recipient Chu Ah Heng’s house, he or his family members would caringly remind them to watch out and walk separately, lest they stepped onto broken planks and fell into the sea. Ah Heng has been living in the coastal areas of Kampung Sungai Papan for four decades. He and his wife, Anon, are blessed with six children, most of whom are still schooling. Due to disrepair and seawater erosion, the corridor of their house and the connecting bridge had worn out and torn away, posing a threat to all of them. Anon informed, “The wooden planks are worn out because our house is already very old. The kids had missed their steps and sustained injuries from falls several times.” Ah Heng earns an unstable income from fishing. Sometimes, when he has a gastric attack, he could not go to the sea to fish. He revealed that his plan to repair his rundown stilt house seemed to be a distant dream because at times, when he had a little savings, he would end up spending on his children’s medical expenses. Learning about his plight, volunteer Yeo Yoke Lin and her team assessed the family’s need for support, and decided to fund the costs of building materials, thereby enabling them to repair the house on their own efforts. Careful assessment to ensure satisfactory outcome On April 17, 2022, Yoke Lin invited Ulu Tiram volunteer Tan Boon Kee, who has professional experience in construction, to check on Ah Heng’s house. Amidst the drizzle, the volunteers carefully crossed the wooden bridge to their destination. They discovered that the house was dilapidated, and the corridor and bottom of the bridge especially, had many defects. Some floor beams and wooden piling were also cracked and broken, and needed an immediate repair to ensure safety. Ah Heng, who has some experience in building floating houses, was aware of the amount of building materials and costs required for the repair. He suggested, “I can go to the woods along the coast to cut down some rosewood for the pile foundation. I can also try to do it on my own.” After that, the volunteers visited several building material manufacturers in Kota Tinggi to inquire about the materials suitable for building floating houses, and get quotations for further evaluation. Eventually, the volunteers decided to choose kempas —a solid, durable hardwood—for the floor structure, and ordered