The Tzu Chi Foundation is preparing to send 350,000 packs of instant rice and 50,000 blankets to the people of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, which was devastated by an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale on Tuesday, 1/12.
Tens of thousands of people are feared death and many are believed to be trapped in the rubble of buildings that have collapsed. Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, is very ill-equipped to deal with a catastrophe of this magnitude.
As soon as they received the news, on Wednesday Taiwan time, the headquarters of Tzu Chi foundation set up a Haiti working committee, which is in 24-hour contact with its headquarters in the United States, to understand the extent of the damage and the priorities for aid. The U.S. headquarters has set up an emergency co-ordination centre to respond to the needs in Haiti.
The foundation made the initial decision to send 400,000 boxes of instant rice and 50,000 blankets and is working out how to transport them. Hsieh Ching-kui, director of the Department of Religious Culture and Humanitarian Aid, said that volunteers around the world had already started to raise money for the victims of the earthquake. “We can raise money and we can move the hearts of people,” he said. “Let everyone pray together with sincerity for Haiti.”
Even more important than material aid is for everyone to pray together with a devout heart for the suffering of the Haitian people. Another man’s pain is my pain. In face of such shocking disasters, we must raise our awareness and everyone must work together to do good and relieve the suffering of the people of Haiti.
