Page 33 - DIVA_4_2007_No.31

Compassion Arises
A note on DDM's Humantarian Aid to Peru's Earthquake
by: Susan Chen*

me and shook her head and I now sit in my desk back
kept pointing at the bags. I saw home. I was so saddened by
that she was looking at her my experiences that I wanted
mother who was standing at to write this story. Many of us,
the side, she must have been we watch the television news,
too worried about hurting her we may even have made a
baby to have come up to beg small contribution to the disas-
for food, so she sent her little ter relief fund. But nothing
girl. could compare to what I saw
those few days. Sending many
The little girl then pointed people away because we had
towards the sky and said ran out of food was so heart-
"Techo, techo". It meant "roof' breaking that I could only
in Spanish. I soon realized close my eyes; hoping that this
what she had meant. She want- was all a nightmare, but no, it
ed the left over plastic bags for was not a dream. We can turn
the city, nearly all the buildings her roof. I felt a sudden chill
As I sat on a plane with four off our televisions, shut the
were damaged. There were behind my spine. I realized that newspaper, just as I shut my
other colleagues en route to people going through the rub- it was only 10 degrees Celsius
Lima, Peru on August 20, eyes and these people may
ble trying to find what remains outside and that these people seem to be in another world.
2007, I kept thinking and of their home. We passed by a were cold and hungry. I
imagining what it was like The truth is, these people are
church that had collapsed dur- grabbed the empty bags and homeless, hungry and cold.
over there. I remembered when
ing mass, in which 148 people gave it to her. I could not help Now, I want to open my eyes
an earthquake of a similar
were killed. I pictured in my but let the tears in my eyes fall. and open those of the reader,
magnitude hit Taiwan in 1999 head the serenity they must When the little girl saw me
and how it destroyed the liveli- hoping to bring help to these
have felt to have died along- crying, she wanted to hand me people. We gave food to a
hoods of many people. I also
side their faith. back the bags, she thought I handful of people, but an even
remembered the many volun- was sad because I gave away
teers and organizations that Our team set-up a mobile aid my bags. I said, "No, it's for greater number of people are
came to Taiwan's aid during center to distribute the food still homeless and starving.
the aftermath; and now, it was you!" I saw an innocent smile As heart breaking as my expe-
that we had brought. There and she ran back to her mom riences were, I am nonetheless
my chance to give back and were three fully loaded trucks
help others. I was informed with the empty bags. grateful for having this oppor-
of food. Even before we were tunity to give back on behalf of
that the Dharma Drum
ready, there were people beg- Plastic bags, something we DDM and of Taiwan. I would
Mountain (DDM) Charity and ging us for food and water.
Social Welfare Foundation was take for granted, something so also like to show my apprecia-
Their faces were completely ordinary in our daily lives that tion to all the NGO's and vol-
assembling a relief team to distraught by the earthquake. I
Peru, and I immediately volun- we discard it almost effortless- unteers that went to help out.
saw mothers holding their cry- ly; but to this little girl, it meant My heart goes out to them. On
teered to join as I am fluent in
ing baby with one hand, and a roof to keep them warm. I my desk, I see DDM's motto:
Spanish which might help the the other reaching out for help.
team's local operations. closed my eyes as tears kept "To build pure land on Earth".
I was so shocked and disheart- pouring down. I had to walk Now more than ever, I take that
ened by what I saw. Nothing in away. to heart. By helping others as
We finally arrived at the Pisco my experiences could have
airport by military plane that they have helped us, the appre-
prepared me for this scene. I During my days there, I saw ciation, the purity and sincerity
the Taipei Economic & tried to fill as many empty
Cultural Office helped arrange. hands as I could, but as one communal kitchens set up. of their gratitude gives us hope
The roads were so badly dam- They all had six pots of rice that they, as receivers of help,
hand retreated another came and beans, but 250 hungry will one day be givers of help
aged that no cars could drive out. In just a matter of
through. I felt a sigh of relief mouths waiting to share it. when they are needed. By
moments, all the food that we Hardly anyone could have lending our hands when they
seeing all the non-governmen-
have brought was gone. As the crunched their hungers. But it have been lent to us in the past,
tal organizations already there
crowd retreated I felt a dagger was all that could have been we can, slowly, build a pure
helping out. Looking around, I
in my heart watching as they given. On the last day, while land on earth one step at a time.
felt a sudden surge of energy left in dismay.
and encouragement as I saw waiting for a flight back to
how everyone was trying to Lima for more supplies, there * The author, Ms. Susan
I looked around and noticed was no more food left for our
help out. Chen, is a senior specialist of
there was a little girl, she could team. That day, we went with- the International Relations
not have been any older than out eating, but I felt that it was
As we drove to Plaza del Alma Division, Dharma Drum
10 years of age. She kept the most satisfying meals that
in Pisco, my heart sank deeper Mountain Foundation, Taipei,
pointing at the empty plastic we ever had. Seeing those
and deeper. Although we Taiwan, Republic of China.
bags left on the truck. I knelt starving children, I thought, if
arrived five days later, it down and held her hands
seemed as though the earth- telling her that there was no by not eating, I could feed just
quake had just hit. There was a one more child, then it was all
more food. She then looked worth it.
thick blanket of dust covering
behind her and looked back at
4 2007 Diva 31
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