Beginning

Tzu Chi Volunteer

TIHAA is organized into different functional groups, each in charge of food, clothing, housing, transportation, information and communication, and a think tank, who contribute through their respective profession and expertise in research and developing food, clothing, transportation method, information and communication.  They not only have to be able to mobilize immediately to provide logistic support for volunteers carrying out relief work in the disaster area, they must also take into consideration of the disaster area’s likely shortage of water and electricity.

TIHAA first took part in international disaster relief work in the 2004 South Asia tsunami. Transporting logistic supply to the disaster area including tents, blankets, rice, large water filters, rice cakes and soya brown rice.

Sharing his own personal experience, Director Xie Jing Gui said, “when volunteers walk into the disaster area, they are all heart wrenched by what they see; it’s likely the victims have nothing left at all. Their most immediate task is to provide the victims with the most basic surviving needs like food and clothes.”

In view that the victims are hungry and thirsty, porridge, vacuum packed rice (cooked) and biscuits are first provided as this food is convenient, easy to swallow, nutritious and filling. When the environment has improved and everything has settled down more, foods like the instant noodles we developed will be provided. The flavor of the foods are also well considered to suite the local residents’ diet (for example, for Indonesians who prefer spicy foods, a curry flavor product was developed). During the process of R&D of these foods, the poor hygiene condition of the disaster area are also taken into account.

Xie Jing Gui Said that once the victims’ living condition are back to normal, and they are able to cook for themselves, Tzu Chi will continue to provide food supplies through large scale relief distributions, giving needed resources like rice, cooking oil .etc. These urgently needed items can not afford any delays during their transportation. Tzu Chi Volunteer Li Ding Ming said that air freight are used during the first 48 hours after the disaster. Other supplies like medicine, blankets and tents may use air or sea at the same time depending on the urgency.

Normal domestic water filters are not enough for supplying water to the thousands of affected households in the disaster areas, so developing a large water filter became a crucial task Tzu Chi Volunteers came up with the idea of placing the whole water filter plant into the cargo container in shipping. It has the necessary processes of water inlet, detoxification, precipitation and filtration. After modification, the filter can be reused after washing. It can provide 500 tons of clean water daily, or enough for use by ten thousand people, which greatly solved the problem of water supply.

The emergency water purifying system was used during the Nei Hu flood. The central kitchen in Nei Hu, which needed to prepare 70 thousand lunch boxes per day for the relief work, but its supply of water and electricity was cut off. So Tzu Chi volunteers modified the communication system and it was immediately put into good use, which enabled the central kitchen to produce 70 thousand lunch boxes everyday for two weeks, as electric power was supplied by the water filter’s generator.  The same solution also helped provide lighting to the disaster area and allowed warm lunch boxes to be delivered to the victims. Apart from providing water and generating electricity, the system can act as a water pump. The water pumped will not go through the filter system, so it served the purpose of pumping water perfectly, showing that it is indeed a versatile equipment.

When the relief team reached the disaster area, they can first make use of simple things like Styrofoam, aluminum foil and glass coverings.  By simply putting rice and water into a 15cm diameter pot, heat it under the sun for 4 hours, and a pot of congee is cooked and ready.
Simple makeshift toilets imported from Japan were also used. These toilets are made of hard paper cover which can withstand a weight of 150kg and take just two minutes to assemble. It is equipped with an antiseptic solution that also removes the odor, plus a tent covering to provide privacy.

Minimizing the waste of natural resources is something that TIHHA takes into consideration while carrying out R&D. An example is the converting of discarded PET bottles into textile fabric, where 20 PET bottles can be converted into a T-shirt, and 80 bottles can make a double layered winter jacket, or 140 PET bottles can be made into a sleeping bag for use in international relief work. The rainproof overalls that the volunteers wear during relief work are actually the result of sewing together the rain boots and the rain coat, so that no rain water will get inside while it is still well ventilated.
As living inside the tent is uncomfortably hot for the victims, and materials for zinc hut are too heavy for transportation, prefab shelters for disaster relief are now being made of “paper”, and incorporate rain water recycling as well as solar panels, while the foundations are raised to prevent rain water and mud. It is not only light weigh and easy to transport, it also has full facilities like water and electricity.

Tzu Chi Volunteer Wei Yin Chong said that due to Global warming and the shortage of water supply, lack of food will become an unavoidable disaster this century. Take Southern Africa for example, cost of their daily foods like corn and potato have risen by 50%, which is largely caused by the serious drought.
To help the poor in South Africa sustain their own living, sources of food have to be from local. Tzu Chi volunteers observed that there are cactus plants in front of every household. The fruit of the cactus are edible and it taste a little sweet and sour, and are also rich in protein and vitamins. Foods made from the cactus are being developed and a system of production and selling are being implemented. It is hoped to create a lot of job opportunities and solve the local problem of poverty.

Not only are massive chopping of trees, strong chemical and breeching are used in the conventional way of producing paper, it causes large amount of chemical waste that damage the natural ecology. TIHAA came out with the innovative idea of using waste material of granite for producing paper. It only uses very little amount of non toxic tree extracts and are environmental friendly.

To help save earth’s resources and minimize its destruction is something always on the minds of the Tzu Chi Volunteers. These groups of entrepreneur volunteers have their own business or career to manage, and at the same time are committed to Tzu Chi as volunteers. It is often said, “volunteers are the source of strength for changing the world in the 21st century”. The main objectives of these entrepreneur volunteers are to combine both charity and environmental protection in the relief missions, and achieve the most efficient use of all resources.

Structure

2) Food and Beverage
   Wei, Ying-chun, Chairman
Wei Chuan Foods Corporation

3) Clothing
　 Walter Hunag, Chairman
Texma International Co., Ltd.

4) Transportation and Shipping
James D. M.Lee, Vice President
Kee Yeh Co., Ltd.

5) Housing
Kao Ming-San

6) Information and Communication
Fred Lin

7) Think Tank
Walter Hunag, Chairman
Texma International Co., Ltd.

TIHAA monthly meetings:  9 am to 12 noon on every 3rd Saturday of even-numbered months.
The think tank task groups hold its own meetings once every two weeks, working to support each TIHAA functional groups with info and data on needed relief resources as well as to promote strategies and campaigns to counter global warming.

Developed Products

Food: instant noodle and instant rice.

Clothes: plush blankets, scarves made from recycled PE bottles, tote sacs, raincoats and pants.

Housing: temporary shelters.

Transportation: transport by air and sea, warehousing, resource integration, solar powered LED light bulbs.

Research and strategy support (think tank):
data search, energy conservation booklet, carbon reduction education, tree planting campaign, electricity conserving computer program project

Objectives

“To make greater progress around the world, so all those in suffering and poverty can be lifted.”

In the development of all of TIHAA’s emergency relief resources, Master Cheng Yen urges that it must meet the stringent standard of being environmentally friendly as well as excellent in quality.  Master Cheng Yen believes that anything we give as gifts to others must be excellent enough to meet our own standard, only so can we give them as gifts to others.  This principle is evident in the food relief supplies developed by TIHAA, where flavor receives equal emphasis as nutrition.  Master Cheng Yen hopes people would be more mindful in developing such materials, and that everyone would hasten their effort in collectively making these needed resources available to anyone in need around the world to help end their suffering.

Food group:

“the food resources developed by TIHAA need not only be used in the event of a disaster.  Given the agitated minds of people in modern times, and the distressed global environment due to climate change, these food items can also be stocked up in case of shortage in the event of a disaster or crisis.” – Master Cheng Yen

Clothe group:

“The plush blanket fabric and Lycra made from recycled PET bottles developed by the clothing group, application can begin with making anti-bacterial surgical robes and uniforms for our hospital volunteers.  Also, during the low seasons in the clothing manufacturing business, excess fabric can be used to make winter clothes and be stocked up in preparation for our winter relief distributions.”- Master Cheng Yen

For the future – In the future, the clothe group will develop more end products made with fabric derived from recycled PET bottles, which will not only serve as supplies for relief distributions, but proceeds from their sale can also add to the dedicated fund for international relief.

Housing group:

“I hope the housing group can develop a tent that is convenient, sturdy, endurable and can maintain good ventilation.” – Master Cheng Yen

For the future – the housing group has begun developing prefab shelters of all kinds of materials and forms.  We hope to provide displaced victims a safe, secure and reliable shelter in the first hours after a disaster.  We will also incorporate solar energy and other energy conserving technologies in our development of prefab shelters, enabling Tzu Chi’s disaster prefab shelters to be evermore friendly to the environment.

Transportation group:

For the future – the transportation group will integrate the air and sea transport routes of Tzu Chi’s international relief, allowing relief supplies to arrive the affected areas in the shortest time possible, so as to help relieve the suffering of the victims expediently.

Information Group:

For the future – the information group will integrate Tzu Chi’s global warehousing information system, so as to manage the flow of relief supplies and their expiration dates with more efficiency and expediency.

Think tank:

For the future – to inspire everyone’s positive spirit to cherish our earth and its resources, and turn such inspiration into concrete actions through carbon reduction campaigns and new carbon reducing lifestyles, as well as with tree planting to return earth to a pure environment.

Master Cheng Yen’s encouragement for TIHAA:

“the relief goods developed by TIHAA should be in ample supply at all times, because if we wait until a disaster occurs to rush production, then it would be too late.  Before they are needed, they can be sold as products, the proceeds can go into the dedicated international relief fund.  This way, it not only facilitates the swiftest relief response, it also ensures the freshest supplies are provided to those in need.  Given today’s technological advancements, as long as we are mindful, we can realize any ideal.  I believe we must all heighten our vigilance as we engage in such development effort, and progress with prudence, so that as we help those in need, wisdom and compassion are inspired as well, because only the strength of compassion can truly help humanity.  I hope all of you will perpetuate your original virtuous vow.”

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