Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

From January to February 2022, Madagascar was hit by four cyclones; even higher inland towns were affected. On February 6, Tropical Cyclone Batsirai brought strong winds and heavy rain to Madagascar, causing severe floods and landslides, and forcing people to evacuate their homes. The Tzu Chi Foundation and Lions Club Farafangana launched a humanitarian aid operation to help the affected people.

Drought and Flooding

Madagascar has been hit by extreme climate change -- four consecutive years of severe drought. It faces its worst drought in 40 years. Crop failures and loss of land have exacerbated the food crisis.

In addition, there has been the COVID pandemic. This has made it difficult for humanitarian organizations to deliver help. The famine-stricken area covered more than 110,000 square kilometers. People ate tree roots and leather from shoes. More than one million people suffered from "catastrophic famine". In some areas, children eat cacti and locusts, and up to 27% of children are malnourished.

Relay of Love

Seeing how the people of Madagascar live, the founder of Tzu Chi, Master Cheng Yen, feels that they are truly undergoing great suffering. Thanks to advances in technology, people around the world can hear her calling on all to hear her words and seize every opportunity to relieve suffering.

Zhang Ci Jun, a volunteer in Singapore, heard that Master Cheng Yen was looking for ways to save the people of Madagascar. She shared the message with one of her friends; he then contacted friends in Madagascar who are members of the Lions Club. The Tzu Chi Foundation quickly seized this good affinity to work with Lions volunteers.

Help the Needy Together

In March and April, 2022, Tzu Chi used these good affinities and entrusted Lions volunteers with purchasing food supplies locally and assisting in distributing it. Members of a local church choir also assisted in the packing. The supplies were transported from the capital to disaster-stricken areas more than 500 kilometers away. The regional military and police helped to maintain security during the process.

Eugenie, founder of the Lions Club in Mananjary, and her younger brother Jerry worked to set up a file for recipients and planned the distribution. She also invited her relatives and friends to prepare for relief distributions.

On April 9, 2022, the first relief distribution was held in Mananjary. The church choir sang Love and Care for All, translated into Malagasy and sending blessings to those affected.

The second distribution was on April 10. Lions volunteers delivered food and supplies to 200 affected military and police households. On April 11, the third relief distribution benefited four villages and 1,417 affected families in Mananjary.

In this way, local volunteers in Mananjary helped Tzu Chi to bring rice directly to the poorest and those most in need. So Tzu Chi did not have to worry about whether the rice could be brought to those in need.

Join Tzu Chi to Help the Needy

On average, one out of every nine people in the world faces hunger. Poor people have no affinity to contact the source of love, and those who have love cannot find suffering people. Suffering in the world is truly lamentable.

Tzu Chi volunteers hope to form good affinities with as many people as they can. They often learn of the needy from others. With more people joining Tzu Chi, volunteers will be closer to one another, and volunteers can then work hand in hand to reach out to the needy and bring relief supplies to them.