News about Charity

With 2020 coming to an end, the Tzu Chi Foundation looks back at a challenging year, and while it was fraught with difficulties and turmoil, it was also a year of accomplishments and hope. Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers worked tirelessly all year long to help those affected by the pandemic and natural disasters. This year also highlighted the good in people and demonstrated the lengths that they would go to help their fellow neighbors.

After a series of home visits, assessments, and recommendations, Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers recently presented long-term beneficiaries Mary Jane Tolledo with a sidecar and Elvira Dandoy with a pedicab to help augment their respective family’s incomes. Bicycles were purchased by the foundation and custom-fitted with carriages at the Tzu Chi workshop.

At a time when Filipinos had just about given up—lengthy lockdowns in the ongoing pandemic had left businesses on the decline, millions unemployed, and fresh cases and deaths due to COVID-19 on the rise—26-year-old Ana Patricia Non introduced a humble initiative that sparked much-needed hope in the country, and a movement that has been called a “good virus” and “the new People Power.”

Pandemic relief continues to flow into the Philippines as volunteers recently went to Antipolo City to distribute rice and daily necessities for a group of visually impaired masseurs.

In its ongoing efforts to help Filipinos whose livelihoods were affected by lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tzu Chi Foundation, in partnership with local government unit Antipolo City, recently organized the first of three distributions of relief goods to visually impaired massage therapists.

Earlier this year, Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers surveyed areas throughout Metro Manila with residents who had been identified by LGUs in Antipolo, Mandaluyong, Quezon City and Pasig, as visually impaired PWD massage therapists. Volunteers started their survey by calling each resident, based on gathered contact information provided by the various LGUs.

On Bohol Island in the Philippines, Tzu Chi scholarship recipients must complete community service before semester ends. Some helped to clean the streets, while others taught young children to read, or gave out grain powder to underweight children.

In the Philippines, due to pandemic prevention restrictions, Tzu Chi's blessing ceremonies in Ormoc Great Love Village have become small-scaled blessing activities in the communities. For the residents who have been impacted by the pandemic, the blessing activities have given them spiritual support.

In 2020, Tzu Chi Philippines Chapter distributed rice to public transport drivers to help them get through the pandemic. This year, Tzu Chi has started the second wave of aid supply distribution, so that more drivers and their families can get needed help.

Tzu Chi Eye Center in Manila, Philippines, serves hundreds of patients per week, providing medical assistance to patients with eye diseases. A public school teacher was affected by cataracts, almost causing her to go blind. Following surgery at Tzu Chi Eye Center, Hazel regains her vision once again.