New York, NY, April 4, 2019 – In our mission to bring compassion and relief to human suffering, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is raising $30,000 via online donations at tzuchi.us, Facebook, and mobile to directly bring monetary aid and critical supplies to survivors of last month’s Cyclone Idai. Idai has left hundreds of thousands of people across the Southeast African nations of Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar without shelter, electricity, or running water.
Our relief work has already begun. In anticipation of the Cyclone, Tzu Chi volunteers in Mozambique helped prepare supplies, and after, conducted assessments in the port city Beira, visiting shelters and observing impacted living conditions. Seeing the scarcity of food available for families, volunteers mobilized to bring more.
Since March 11, Tzu Chi volunteers from across Africa officially began disaster relief operations across Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by distributing rice shipped from Taiwan, corn flour, and critical supplies including DA.AI eco-blankets, emergency supply packs, mosquito nets, and anti-epidemic drugs. In Zimbabwe, volunteers were able to send additional supplies including cooking oil and beans, too. Volunteers are also helping survivors rebuild homes in Malawi, which were originally made of materials that completely collapsed in the Cyclone’s floods.
Clean water and good hygiene are increasingly important as the cholera epidemic spreads. That is why in Tzu Chi’s emergency supply bags, there are water purifiers and hygiene kits, as cholera spreads through contaminated drinking water and may result in death. Many have already been distributed across these three countries.
Now, a shipment of 12,600 of Tzu Chi’s signature DA.AI eco-blankets is on its way to Eastview, located just outside of Mozambique’s capital, Harare, and will be distributed to offer warmth, protection, and comfort to survivors. Back in Taiwan, at the Tzu Chi global headquarters, Tzu Chi volunteers worked tirelessly in day and night shifts to produce 900 blankets per day for the shipment, which was sent from the Port of Kaohsiung.
Up next, Tzu Chi volunteers from around the world will arrive in various locations across Southeast Africa to host large-scale distributions, for which plans are underway.
Though we have promoted our fundraiser on Facebook, we need further help to spread awareness to provide the critical supplies survivors will need to stave off hunger, illness, and homelessness. We will also provide monetary aid to help families get back on their feet. Donations may be made to our Compassion and Relief for Cyclone Idai Survivors campaign using the options below.
Donations may be made via:
- Website: tzuchi.us/cyclone-idai
- Facebook: facebook.com/donate/555646758276609
- Texting “TzuChi” to 91999
- Check, made payable to “Tzu Chi”
We also ask that anyone who sees this notice may share it so we may garner as many contributions as possible to help bring as much relief as we can in times of great need.
About the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation
The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation is a humanitarian non-profit NGO whose commitment to poverty reduction and disaster relief has reached 98 countries since 1966. In 2017, Tzu Chi USA distributed over $9 million in aid, benefiting those impacted by 68 disasters in the USA. To learn more, visit: www.tzuchi.us.
Media Contact: Anik Ghose, 914-297-9079, [email protected]
