Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Typhoon Rai hit the Philippines in mid-December and seriously massive waves as high as three meters caused severe devastation on Bohol Island. As of December 27, Typhoon Rai had claimed 389 lives, left 29,000 families in emergency shelters and completely destroyed thousands of homes.

Volunteers from Manila, Bohol and Tacloban worked together to gather a name list of those affected, before implementing a relief project in Bohol Island.

To reach the disaster areas, they took a plane or small sea vessel and then switched to cars. For the sake of helping the residents hit by the typhoon, they did not mind the arduous travel.

They visited Tubigon in Bohol Island, to assess the damage. This town is close to the coast; more than 13,000 families there have become homeless.

In the aftermath of the typhoon, along the side of the roads, residents were drying their clothes and children trying to save their textbooks. It meant a bleak Christmas for those affected in the Philippines. Tzu Chi volunteer Joven Uy said: “The power situation is so bleak because so many electric posts fell down, and drinking water is also a problem. Without power, there are no water pumps and there’s no filtering system for the waterworks to work with.”

Affected resident Eljoy said: “For now we really need food and water. Drinking contaminated water is our option just to survive. We really need clean water.” She also told the Tzu Chi volunteers: “We were evacuated to our nearby school during the typhoon, as advised by the barangay captain. Unfortunately, the school roof was also damaged by the strong wind.”

The houses there were almost destroyed. The residents have lost everything, even their means of livelihood. Like the fishermen, they have lost their pump boats. They had no water, electricity or food. The residents were helpless and could only use pieces of cardboard to write down their wishes. “Help us! We really need help right now. We are very hungry and thirsty. We don’t have food to eat and want to drink.”  

Tzu Chi and Bohol Island become associated after a strong earthquake in 2013. Over the years, the care provided by Tzu Chi volunteers has never stopped. After the disaster investigation, the volunteers visited the Governor Arthur Yap. He said: “We estimate that 100,000 households on Bohol Island will be affected. Tzu Chi came to help us when the Bohol Earthquake occurred in 2013. I hope that there will be another opportunity for Tzu Chi to reach out and help the affected residents on the island. We are really short of supplies at this point in time."

This year, even if the residents of Bohol Island could not spend the Christmas holiday safely, Tzu Chi volunteers promised to hold distributions before the New Year, after collecting the list.

We see many disasters and much suffering in this world. Those places struck by disaster need volunteers to go and spread Great Love, and Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide ought to give with lasting compassion. No matter how far they have to go to the disaster area, as long as they see and hear about this, they will plan and gather their donations together. Their love and care will give hope to those in places of disasters.