Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

“Children’s education cannot wait. Campus safety cannot be neglected.”

In Taiwan, Tzu Chi aims to provide a safe environment for students and teachers in case of a major disaster. Since 2014, in collaboration with the county governments of Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung, the Foundation has brought the Project Hope of Disaster Risk Reduction to 26 schools. This year, Tzu Chi plans to rebuild dangerous buildings in four schools in Miaoli County: Yuanli Senior High School (苑裡高中), Gongguan Junior High School (公館國中), Houlung Junior High School (後龍國中), and Zaociao Junior High School (造橋國中). On March 31, in the presence of County Magistrate Mr. Hsu Yao-chang and Tzu Chi Vice-President Ms. Lin Bi-Yu, groundbreaking ceremonies were held at the Zaociao and Houlung schools.

One classroom building of Zaociao Junior High School was built over 50 year ago on a hill. Inspections have shown signs of ground deformation and collapse on the site; so it was proposed to rebuild the structure and reinforce the soil and water conservation. Houlung Junior High School was the first middle school established in the town; the school classroom structures built then have been used for over 60 years. Building inspection results have shown that the capacity-to-demand ratio was low, as well as a high level of chloride in the west wing. Therefore, the buildings were deemed as dangerous and closed.

Gongguan Junior High School was the first school in Miaoli to build a music school. Since then, it has built up its reputation and won numerous awards. However, one of school buildings has serious cracks and its metal frames exposed to the air; students have even been injured by fallen tiles. Therefore, Tzu Chi plans to build a new building with 18 classrooms. Before the completion, the foundation will provide six prefabricated classrooms to enable classes to continue normally.

“In this campus of love, we have a bright future. Contentment, gratitude, and dedication. We all are blessed.” Accompanied by the music, students of the Zaociao school sang the song written by their principal Mr. Lin Yu-Shen, to share their gratitude. The national champion diabolo team also performed to celebrate this special day.

During the ceremony, the magistrate of Maoli county, Mr. Hsu Yao-chang, also expressed his gratitude for Tzu Chi’s efforts to rebuild school buildings in order to give students a safe learning environment. The blueprint design includes safety, environmental protection, culture and functionality.

“Education is the Project of Hope. When the Jiji earthquake struck (1999), Dharma Master Cheng Yen was concerned for those students whose learning was interrupted by the severe damage to their schools. Hence, Tzu Chi assisted in rebuilding over 50 earthquake-affected schools. We are very thankful for the efforts of the government, schools, and every one of you, to give us this opportunity to provide a safe and sturdy learning environment for the children. We wish you the best for the completion of the construction,” said Lin Bi-Yu, Vice-President of Tzu Chi.

A society’s future depends on its people; to nurture talented people means providing them with a proper education. Tzu Chi’s Project Hope of Disaster Risk Reduction aims to provide an excellent learning environment that is safe and green, works efficiently and provides students with culture.