TZU CHI FOUNDATION: Living Up to Its Name of Compassion and Relief

CONTRIBUTING to greater social and humanitarian services, Tzu Chi Foundation, a charitable organization that originated in Taiwan, has extended its reach to Zamboanga City. Inspired by the concept of Buddhism in action, Tzu Chi aims to provide relief, educational and medical assistance to those who are in need.

In May 2000, the foundation represented by the Chinese characters Tzu and Chi - meaning compassion and relief  -  set up a local liaison office to promote a support program for hydrocephalus and cataract patients. Spearheaded by 13 local volunteers who assisted in earlier medical missions given by the (Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines and )Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), based in Manila, the local liaison has already organized (45) medical and surgical missions in the Mindanao area.   It constructed the Tzu Chi Great Love Rehabilitation Center in 2004 and the Tzu Chi (Great Love) Eye Center in January, 2008.

Local coordinator Dr. Anton Mari H. Lim explained in an interview that Tzu Chi has committed itself to four major missions to alleviate human suffering. With offices in more than 20 countries, Tzu Chi has worked in missions of charity, medicine, education and culture. He clarified that some countries have their special line of aid that they offer depending on the needs of the area.

In Zamboanga City, the foundation is focused on medical support for indigent residents. In partnership with Zamboanga City Medical Center, the Tzu Chi (Great love) Eye Center offers cataract operations and eye consultation. Indigent clients enjoy free services from the foundation while those who can afford can avail it at much lower rates compared to private hospitals. The foundation also offers VP Shunting Operation for hydrocephalus that is free for all patients.
 
Due to its financial limitations, Lim emphasized that they strictly follow assistance policies in terms of the necessity and capacity of the beneficiary.  “The foundation cannot help everyone, but we try our best because we consider it not only as an opportunity but our duty to help others,” he added.

In January 2003, Tzu Chi held its first Tzu Chi Jaipur Foot Camp with the aim to regain the mobility of amputees by providing them with free prosthesis and by offering free therapy at the Tzu Chi Great Love (Physical) Rehabilitation Center.

Like the eye center, the Tzu Chi (Physical) Rehabilitation center offers cheaper yet high quality medical assistance to patients who need to undergo (physical) therapy sessions. Patients vary from those who have recovered from stroke and undergone surgery to those who have arthritis, cerebral palsy, or other occupational diseases.
 
“You cannot give away money as a solution to the problem,” explained Lim as he elaborated the assistance they offer. People who approach the foundation seeking for help are instead provided with services like medical assistance, referrals to specialists for diseases that local doctors cannot handle, surgical supports but not for monetary doleouts.

Aside from the indigent medical/surgical assistance program, free operation for hydrocephalus, medical missions and sight saving program, transport assistance for indigents with medical needs, the foundation has started working on a new advocacy dubbed as “Magdibdiban Tayo: Tzu Chi Zamboanga Breast Cancer Awareness Program.” The foundation is presently planning to set up a breast cancer center in the city.

  Tzu Chi Zamboanga has also given emergency assistance for disaster victims in the past years, such as to victims of the 2007 storm surge in Zamboanga’s west coast area, 2009 fire in Cawit and the 2006 fire  in Camino Nuevo.

 Lim quoted what Master Cheng Yen, the Buddhist nun who founded the organization, has said about extending help during disasters: “Be the first ones to arrive and the last to leave.” He also added that the foundation only steps into the situation when the need arises and leaves other (small) disasters to government’s care.

Tzu Chi works hand in hand among international liaisons in disaster relief activities. The local office extends also support to national and even international relief programs when in need. As with the international Tzu Chi liaisons, they offer their support and mobilize their team to personally assist disaster-hit communities. Also, the foundation aims to promote environmental protection through their community recycling program.

The foundation was founded in the year 1966 by a Buddhist Nun, Master Cheng Yen, who realized that Buddhism was more than a religion that focuses on self-meditation and folk beliefs. She taught that it is something that can be applied in the way life, called Buddhism in Action, Lim explained. Struck by an incident that caught her attention, which led her to the idea of building a hospital in Taiwan, she persevered and found ways to make the building of the hospital possible. With the help of some friends and supporters, the first Tzu Chi hospital was established in Taiwan, which was followed by more hospitals and eventually extending to other countries with the efforts of the other Tzu Chi volunteers who moved out of the country. As Lim shared, the master believes that everyone is born with a golden heart. The hardships that one will encounter will bring out his true self, he added.

“Doing good deeds is a privilege. It is not available to everyone. So if you are given that opportunity, you have to pay for that opportunity,” the master believed. That is why Tzu Chi volunteers offer not only their services but also provide for their own expenses in all operations they undertake. The funds of the organization come from several donors who pledge monthly contributions and from the many fund raising activities that they conduct, including the annual One Mega Fair (and Christmas Bazaar) in Zamboanga City. But Lim clarified that the funds all go to the services and not for the upkeep of the office.

Officially, Tzu Chi Philippines was organized in 1994 and is currently operating offices in Manila, Cebu and Zamboanga. At present, Tzu Chi Zamboanga is starting with the fourth mission, which is education. The foundation is planning to adopt a public school in Muruk, a far-flung area in the city, to offer basic educational needs and  renovate the school. Gradually, the foundation is extending its scope to help more and more people who otherwise will remain neglected by society.  (Francel Joy De Leon – Peace Advocates Zamboanga)