Canoa, Ecuador, July 13, 2019 – With the reconstruction mission completed, La Parroquia San Andrés in Canoa – the Catholic church the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation helped rebuild in Ecuador – is now officially open to the public.
When the dreadful 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Ecuador on April 16, 2017, Tzu Chi volunteers set their plans for relief in motion through short and mid-term support, distributing cash cards for those impacted. Not long after, a Cash-For-Relief program was initiated, providing locals with much-needed job opportunities while cleaning up the cities in the shortest time possible.
Toiling together with love in their hearts, lasting connections between locals and Tzu Chi volunteers were born. One connection we made along the way in Canoa specifically struck a chord within the heart of our founder, Dharma Master Cheng Yen: that of three Catholic nuns whose spiritual home was destroyed.
Thus, as part of Tzu Chi’s long-term relief plans, a roadmap for further aid was laid forth which included the rebuilding of the beloved house of worship in the small coastal town.
“The rebuilding of our church, yes, it is a material house, but it is also a symbol… it is rebuilding the church that is within each of us, the temple that is each of us, united.”
The reconstruction project comprised of not only the church itself, but classrooms for children’s Bible studies, living quarters for priests and nuns, and a base of operations for Tzu Chi’s forthcoming humanitarian events in Canoa.
In conjunction with this momentous occasion, Tzu Chi will additionally hold medical outreach events from July 13-16.
July 13: Medical Outreach at the Canoa Church – 12:30 PM – 4:00 PM
A special ceremony will additionally take place from 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM
July 14: Medical Outreach at the Canoa Church – 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
July 15: Medical Outreach in Manta – 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
July 16: Medical Outreach in Manta – 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
About the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is a humanitarian non-profit NGO with the missions of charity, medicine, education and humanistic culture at its core. Its footprint of aid at the forefront of poverty reduction and disaster relief has reached 99 countries since 1966. To learn more about Tzu Chi’s compassionate humanitarian aid work in Ecuador, please visit https://tzuchi.us/canoa.
Media Contact:
(U.S) Anik Ghose, [email protected]
(Ecuador) Jenyffer Ruiz, 593-98-7497026 , Boris Garcia [email protected] 593 99-1056538
