Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely affected Mozambique. It has led to a stagnation of business and increased prices and unemployment. Those who make a living by odd jobs cannot find work. Furthermore, they have been hit by cyclones. How can the poor survive such difficulties caused by the pandemic?

Paulo is one of Tzu Chi’s first volunteers in Metuchira, Sofala Province. Since March 2020, he has asked for 1,700 volunteers to cultivate five fields, with the harvest to be distributed to people in need.

Every day Paulo has to walk three hours to the farms, rain or shine. On the way there, he seizes every chance to spread the spirit of Tzu Chi and recruit volunteers for the farms. He arranges the shift timetable for over 1,000 people. Each shift has only 25 people due to the pandemic regulations. Over a few months, they already have arranged 5,000 people-shifts to work on the farms. As a result, their harvest is better than others.

All the volunteers are from the same town; so they know well where the poor live. They bring the harvest to the poorest of the poor in Metuchira. Up to October, 2020, they had helped 3,600 person-times.

How did Paulo find so many farms to cultivate? “When we found the idle land, we told the owner that the harvest of the land can be distributed to help the needy. So he lent his land to us, hoping that we can help more elderly people like him,” said Paulo. In this way, volunteers can cultivate idle land and use the harvest from it to help people in need.

Love spreads like ripples. While visiting the poor, the volunteers found that many of the old people sleep on the dirt floor because they do not have straw mats at home. Volunteer Fernando is an excellent craftsman; not only does he make goods himself but he also teaches the younger generation. Pooling their efforts together, they made at least 400 straw mats for people in need. The elderly does not have to sleep on the dirt ground any more.
In Mozambique, the poor helps the poor. Volunteer Zerlina wants to help and said: “Even if I can’t make a donation, I can still give with love and do all I can to help others.”

Through spiritual cultivation with Tzu Chi volunteers, local volunteers have been inspired to give -- just like a song they sing all the time:
“How much does it cost to learn Tzu Chi love?”
“How much?”
“Nothing at all.”
“All you need to do is give with love.”

Indeed, they give with love and realize that the greatest blessing is to dedicate yourself selflessly. In this way, Great Love illuminates their hearts.