For the past year, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation (Tzu Chi) has been making a concerted effort to send food and medical supplies to those countries hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of June 20, 2021, Tzu Chi’s footprints of humanitarian aid have now reached 125 countries and regions. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tzu Chi has sent pandemic relief to 93 countries and regions in the world, with a total of 34,096,312 pieces of medical supplies.
On May 25, ABM Samaj Prabodhan Sanstha (ABM), a Buddhist organization in India, hosted a simple ceremony in honor of the oxygen concentrators Tzu Chi has generously donated.
On May 27, Patan Hospital in Nepal received 70,000 gloves donated by Tzu Chi.
On May 28, 92 containers of medical supplies arrived by air in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. From there, they will be shipped by land to the southern city of Pakse in the Champasak province. This shipment contains 1,600 medical protective clothing, 3,040 PPE coveralls, 6,400 medical shoe covers, 6,000 medical caps, 600 face shields, and 50 digital thermometers.
On the same day, a food drive in Bangladesh, the seventh in the country since the pandemic started, helped provide a total of 150 households with food.
On May 29, Cambodia received 30 oxygen concentrators and 3 accessories, along with a total of 103 cases of face masks, donated by Tzu Chi.
On that day, Tzu Chi’s second charter flight to deliver supplies to Nepal arrived in Kathmandu, with 39,120 protective clothing and 43 cases of protective caps and shoe coverings.
On June 3, the Nepal Medical Association, on behalf of Tzu Chi, donated 5 oxygen concentrators to a quarantine center in the city center of Kathmandu.
On June 5, a shipment of oxygen concentrators donated by Tzu Chi cleared customs in India, with the facilitation of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC).
On June 6, a quarantine center in Nepal received the x-ray machines, ECG machines, and autoclave machines donated by Tzu Chi. Member of Parliament Jeevan Ram Shrestha expressed the country’s gratitude for Tzu Chi’s donation.
On June 7, Tzu Chi’s second batch of medical supplies to Laos, which contain 100,000 medical face masks and 5,400 preventative masks, cleared customs in the country. Tzu Chi volunteers then delivered the supplies to the Department of Health in Champasak province. The last planned delivery of 300 folding beds was scheduled to be shipped via Thailand.
Also on that day, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation presented the Phenday Care Children’s Home in Nepal with a whole month worth of food. The home is currently hosting 25 children and 7 staff, who will not have to worry about going hungry thanks to Tzu Chi’s donation of 200 kg of rice, 30 kg of lentils, 300 kg of powdered milk, 12 liters of cooking oil, 50 kg of beaten rice, 2 kg of salt, 10 kg of sugar, in addition of 50 soaps. Sharmila Lama, the director of the home, expressed gratitude to Tzu Chi for this donation.
On June 8, supplies on Tzu Chi’s 7th charter flight to Nepal cleared customs, thanks to the facilitation of the country’s Ministry of Health and the Nepal Medical Association. On the day before, the association hosted a press conference to acknowledge Tzu Chi’s generous and timely donation. In addition, the supplies purchased locally, including hand soap, hand sanitizer, and glucose meters were sent to the Kathmandu Buddhist Temple as planned.
On June 12, Tzu Chi volunteers delivered 1,500 KN95 face masks and 760 bottles of 100mL hand sanitizer to H.P. Sumanasekera, the Secretary of the District of Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka. The supplies will be distributed to government officials working to combat the pandemic in the country. In addition, 500 KN95 face masks and 240 x 100ml sanitizer bottles were also donated to the Hambantota Ministry of Health.
On June 15, Tzu Chi volunteers met with the Minister of Health of Sri Lanka, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, and presented the country with 100 oxygen concentrators, 2,000 nasal tubes, and 500 pulse oximeters. The minister passed on to the volunteer’s words of gratitude from doctors on the frontline fighting the pandemic for Tzu Chi’s valuable donation.
On June 16, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV), an Indian university under the banner of the charity organization All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP), received 100 oxygen concentrators from the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. The university has been working since the pandemic started to distribute food to the needy and provide medical supplies while readying their hospital to become a COVID-19 care center for the surrounding area.
On June 17, despite the city of Kathmandu being shut down, Tzu Chi sent one month’s worth of food to the Pabitra Samaj Sewa, a shelter for abandoned children, seniors, and disabled persons that is currently home to 62 in need, through its local volunteers. Going forward, Tzu Chi will also provide aid to the organization to repair its walls and fences.
On the same day in India, 300 oxygen concentrators cleared customs in India’s Karnataka province, bringing up the total number of oxygen concentrators Tzu Chi donated to this province to 500.
The latest beneficiary country was Bhutan, which received 100 oxygen generators, 19,980 N95 face masks, 100,000 regular masks, and 7,692 medical coveralls.
In response to Asia’s growing COVID-19 surges, Tzu Chi USA is now sending emergency aid to 8 countries and regions, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos, and Taiwan.
