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Cash-for-Relief participants and volunteer leaders
in Tzu Chi vests join hands in solidarity.
Photo: Mike Tang

Haïtien, the local volunteer team is still relatively
new; it was established in 2012. While they have
experience conducting local charity work and
relief distributions, a Cash-for-Relief program
was an entirely new challenge. Therefore, Han
Huang, CEO of Tzu Chi USA and the leader
of this program, wanted to prepare our local
volunteers through a series of training classes. I
was blessed with the opportunity to participate
in Cash-for-Relief in the Philippines last year,
Typhoon Haiyan struck the island of Leyte and I have experience holding volunteer
and devastated the major city of Tacloban in training sessions in Haiti in the past. With
November 2013, Tzu Chi volunteers followed help from my colleagues in the Spiritual Care
Master Cheng Yen’s instruction and started a and Training Department of Tzu Chi USA we
Cash-for-Relief program. Participants received developed a curriculum, and with support from
a daily allowance of cash relief as they worked local volunteer leaders we were ready to run
to clear the hundreds of thousands of tons of the classes.
debris that covered the city. At its peak, the
program had over thirty thousand participants The focus of these training classes was how
each day. Together, they cleared the city of to become role models. Not just any role model,
debris in less than three weeks. but a Bodhisattva role model who embodies
Master Cheng Yen’s ideals of responsibility,
What this experience showed was the sincerity, and discipline, and even more
enormous power a community has when its importantly, gentleness, respect, gratitude,
strength is brought together. But how can and love. To accomplish all this, we only had
this be accomplished? In the Philippines, Tzu three half-day classes, starting on Thursday,
Chi volunteers inspired this strength through December 11. The Cash-for-Relief program was
several unconventional methods. First, during starting the following Monday.
every morning registration and afternoon
distribution session, volunteers motivated and Through presentations, videos of Master
educated participants through songs, games, Cheng Yen’s teaching, interactive exercises,
prayer, and sharing. Second, while volunteers sign-language songs, and plenty of group
guided participants throughout the cleanup, discussions and sharing sessions, participants
they did not oversee or direct the work, delved into the topics of Gratitude, Respect,
thereby empowering the community to take and Love. Each day, we gave homework to the
responsibility for its own accomplishments. more than sixty volunteers; we asked them to
Third, volunteers strove to act as moral and practice implementing these three concepts
spiritual role models for the participants. Finally, into their own lives. The next day, they had the
participants ended each day with cash in their opportunity to share their experiences from the
pockets that they could use to purchase food, previous afternoon. After just two days, many
clothes, and shoes for their children, as well as of the volunteers had already made lasting
nails and tools to rebuild their houses. changes in their personal lives.

The success of this approach depended One volunteer shared that he was living
on the local Tzu Chi volunteers. They were the together with his two cousins, whom he
ones that could speak the local language, lead thoroughly disliked. He would always come
and educate participants during the gatherings, home late to avoid talking to them, and if he
and act as role models during the work. In Cap- met them by chance, he would never greet

3 0 TZU CHI USA SUMMER 2015