Tzu Chi USA

Patrick Riley, a care recipient at our wildfire relief distribution in El Monte on February 9, has experience working with the Salvation Army in disaster aid and said of Tzu Chi, “You cover the whole person: bio, psychosocial, spiritual. Very holistic ministry.” For disaster relief work, it is essential to consider all aspects of a person and care for all of them. With the many impacted residents, every case is different, and deserves focus on the way to recovery. Jesus Rojas, a police officer for the El Monte Police Department, stated, “For me to be here and watch what the foundation is doing, bringing in joy and some sort of restoration back to the people’s lives: it’s amazing.” #TzuChiUSA #HelpLosAngelesHeal #LAWildfires #ElMonte #LosAngeles

Even after the #LAWildfires, the resilience of residents shines through. 💫 Manuel Rodriguez, a Malibu resident at our January 22 relief distribution in West LA, shared his hope: “We can do or start to see how we can be there again and start again to work from zero.” Despite losing his home, he, along with others like Leyla Howkins—who lost her Malibu home of 40 years—and 91-year-old Anna Wei, who left her home with just a few belongings, remain hopeful and determined to rebuild. The stories of strength have also inspired our volunteers. Joshua Jiang and Susan Chen gave their support, with Susan saying, “I feel so happy. I can be here to help them, at least even a little bit.” Residents were able to receive food, supplies, our DA.AI eco-friendly blankets, and debit cards to help them begin their recovery. Leyla Howkins expressed her gratitude, saying, “The only light I have seen in this entire darkness has been this organization, and God bless them.” #TzuChiUSA #LAWildfires #Wildfire #LosAngeles #Recovery #Resilience #Hope

Our volunteers aspire to be the “people of love” from this song who give their love to every neighbor and embrace and love everyone. We strive to bring compassion everywhere and love to those with empty hands, especially those affected by the #LAWildfires. 🙏 #TzuChiUSA #HelpLosAngelesHeal #LosAngeles #EmbraceAll #DisasterRelief

Our team in Sierra Leone completed their final day of visits on February 22, starting in Susan’s Bay, a community of 22,000 residents primarily consisting of makeshift homes constructed from zinc sheets, mud walls, or a mixture of cement and soil. In 2021, Susan's Bay was hit by a major fire, leaving over 7,000 people homeless. The Mabella community also had a severe fire during 2024, displacing around 1,500 people. After the disaster, Tzu Chi and its partners provided 21 days of hot meals 🍛🥘 for survivors and distributed relief supplies to the affected households. We visited the plastic recycling project with community leaders and members of the Community Disaster Management Committee (CDMC). While the project site lacked proper infrastructure and workers used hand-operated mixers fueled by burning coconut shells and wood to mix sand with molten plastic to create tiles, risking smoke inhalation, they took pride in the durability of the tiles, claiming they are stronger than concrete. 💪 In a community leaders meeting, which included regional chiefs, tribal leaders, CDMC representatives, and local council representatives, the community’s five major challenges were outlined: stream pollution, flaws in plastic recycling technology, malfunctioning toilets, regular drainage system maintenance, and the overflowing of 11 drainage channels during rainy seasons. These issues require collaboration between residents, local governments, and charitable organizations like Tzu Chi 🤝 to focus on future projects. Later, we met with Professor Fullah, a local scholar who had participated in the "Ten-Year Impact Report" last year. Prof. Fullah had also been involved in the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) project 📚, which helped Tzu Chi representatives gain a deeper understanding of the local society. #TzuChi #SierraLeone #SusansBay #Mabella #FutureDevelopment #Collaboration #CommunitySupport #CompassionInAction #Recycling #LocalLeaders #SDGs

“All I can say is, I wish the whole world were made of people like this,” Claire Rexon mentioned upon receiving care from our volunteers at our #LAWildfire relief distribution on 1/25 in West LA. “The Tzu Chi volunteers: they were so kind. It was one of the first compassionate gestures that we met,” expressed Marjan Rejabi, a fellow care recipient. We seek in our actions to touch those in need through kindness, inspiring more compassion and building a better world day by day. #TzuChiUSA #HelpLosAngelesHeal #Kindness #CompassionInAction #DisasterRelief

On February 21 in Sierra Leone, we were able to meet with the mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr 🙌. She shared the systemic challenges faced by Freetown and her planned improvements, many of which align with Tzu Chi’s current services in the country and its underserved areas. Discussions covered various infrastructure projects 🏗️, public health facilities, women-run water stations, waste collection systems, plastic brick building techniques, and more. Later, the Tzu Chi team conducted a "Gratitude, Respect, and Love" volunteer training course for 32 local volunteers 🙋♂️🙆♀️, each of whom had volunteered with Tzu Chi for at least two years. This training allowed them to better understand Tzu Chi’s history and spirit, the founding story of Dharma Master Cheng Yen, and Tzu Chi’s global humanitarian efforts 🌎💖. By the training’s end, Tzu Chi USA CEO Debra Boudreaux specially presented the Tzu Chi gray uniform to local volunteer Mary for her support, along with a belt, Buddhist beads, the Jing Si Aphorisms book, the "Tzu Chi 50 Years" commemorative book, and a DA.AI badge. Everyone cheered for her with enthusiastic applause 👏, bringing Mary a joyful smile 🥰. #TzuChi #SierraLeone #Freetown #Mayor #CommunityDevelopment #Volunteer Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE

“It wasn’t just a house. It was a home,” expressed Cynthia Perello, a care recipient at our #LAWildfire distribution in El Monte on 2/16, who was among the many who lost their homes. The event provided residents with food, supplies, and financial relief. Cynthia shared: “It feels good that we have somebody that cares about us because there are a lot of people who don’t.” Meanwhile, James Chen, Director of Tzu Chi’s San Gabriel Valley Service Center, reminded us that while our large-scale distributions have come to a temporary conclusion, our care doesn’t stop here. More needs to be done in the rebuilding process, which could take years. #TzuChiUSA #HelpLosAngelesHeal #LosAngeles #DisasterRelief #HumanitarianAid

Our volunteers received a warm welcome from the people of the Liberian Refugee Camp in Gendema, a rural town in Pujehun District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. There, we met with orphans and vulnerable women who have been helped by our aid and provided still more aid. Debra Bordeaux, Tzu Chi USA’s CEO, expressed, “The message we should tell all the different communities: We are here. We want to work together.” #TzuChi #SierraLeone #LiberianRefugeeCamp #WorkingTogether #HumanitarianAid

When speaking about those affected by the #LAWildfires, Jenny Hsu, a Tzu Chi volunteer, expressed, “They need people to know them, to comfort them, to help them, to love them.” To provide love and comfort when needed is part of our goal in disaster relief, and it doesn’t end with short-term relief. #TzuChiUSA #HelpLosAngelesHeal #DisasterRelief #Recovery #HumanitarianAid

On February 19, we held a "Humanitarian Partnership Alliance Workshop" with local partners in Sierra Leone, including the Healey International Relief Foundation, Caritas Freetown Foundation, and Lanyi Foundation 🤝. Everyone together reflected on completed relief projects since 2015 and exchanged valuable ideas for the development direction up to ten years ahead. Tzu Chi USA CEO, Debra Boudreaux, shared Master Cheng Yen's caring words: "To ensure that love and care continue long-term, the most important thing is to inspire people’s goodwill 💓 and let everyone become a part of caring for the community." Afterwards, we visited the St. Mary's Interim Care Center, managed by the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus. With joy, the center’s children 👶👧👦 used each letter of the word "Tzu Chi," and explained their understanding of the Tzu Chi definition: 🎀 T / Timely support 🎀 Z / Zealous in providing love and care 🎀 U / Unending support, no matter what happens 🎀 C / Caring, Compassionate, and Courteous 🎀 H / Humility in giving with a bow 🎀 I / Initiative On February 20, our team traveled 🚐🚗 to Kambia City, the capital of Sierra Leone’s Northwest Province, to meet with the Takalene Women Farmers’ Cooperative, a supplier of rice for Tzu Chi’s local relief efforts since 2022 🙌. Isata Feika Sessy, the leader of the association, emphasized that the association operates under the motto "Women’s Strength, Men’s Support" and "60-40" (60% women, 40% men), advocating for gender balance and shared development. Then, we were in one of Sierra Leone's northern major towns, Makeni, to distribute supplies 📦🛍️ to the Makeni Polio Association and SLAES (Sierra Leone Association of Ebola Survivors). SLAES specially awarded Tzu Chi with an honorary certificate in gratitude for its years of care and support, and Matthew of the Polio Association mentioned how they launched initial self-sufficiency projects and hope to further enhance their independence in the future. #TzuChi #SierraLeone #KambiaCity #Makeni #Cooperation #CommunitySupport #WomenFarmers #Children #CompassionInAction #HHCJ #MakeniPolioAssociation #SLAES #HealeyIRF #CaritasFreetown #LanyiFoundation #StMarysInterimCareCenter