Filipino survivors of natural disasters in Tacloban and Cabanatuan cities have pooled their meager resources to help victims of Hurricane Matthew in southern Haiti, the Tzu Chi Foundation announced.
Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm, struck Haiti on October 4, wiping towns and villages off the map. It killed 1,000 people and left 1.4 million others in need of aid. The people of Haiti are faced with the daunting task of rebuilding as they bury their dead and confront a cholera outbreak.
On October 14-15, Tzu Chi volunteers sold for P100 sets of eight pieces of vegetarian dumplings “filled with love for the disaster victims as the ingredients—from the vegetables to the dumpling wrappers—came from the donations of kind-hearted individuals.”
Survivors of the 2013 earthquake in Bohol, Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in Tacloban City, and Typhoons “Lando” and “Nona” in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija all willingly gave what monetary contribution they could to help. Being disaster survivors themselves, they are well aware of the struggles that the hurricane victims in Haiti suffer.
All the proceeds of the sales will go to Tzu Chi’s relief fund for the hurricane survivors in Haiti.
“With a disaster this big, we need many people to contribute. Although Haiti is far away and we could not go there, we can still extend help in this way,” said Tzu Chi volunteer Lu Lee Ching, who led the project.
Across the country, Tzu Chi volunteers conducted donation drives.
Haiti, which is the poorest country in the Americas, is still reeling from the 2010 earthquake with 60,000 individuals still living in temporary camps.
As cholera begins to spread, the hurricane survivors’ clamor for help became even more urgent.
Six days after the storm, Tzu Chi volunteers from the USA conducted surveys in the worst-affected areas such as the cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie. They are now formulating a disaster-relief plan to provide hot meals, cholera vaccinations, and building supplies.
The foundation also hopes to launch a cash-for-work program to clean up devastated areas, and restorhope in the survivor.
Tzu Chi launched a similar program in the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and another quake that hit Ecuador in May this year.