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Cash-for-Relief
them. After two days of volunteer training, kindness. They were then to
he made a decision. He went home early, present the situations and their in Haiti
greeted his cousins, and asked them to sit resolutions as skits. The skits all
down together. He shared with them that this explored important lessons and demonstrated
was not the right way for a family to interact. that the participants had deeply understood
His sincerity convinced his cousins, and they all the concept of solving conflicts using love and
forgave each other for past grievances. The next kindness. In one of the skits, participants stopped
morning, the volunteer was sick with asthma, working because they saw other participants
and his cousin brought him medicine. This had slacking off. In another, local residents became
never happened before. upset because they also needed jobs but were
not included in the program. In each case, the
Another volunteer shared that she had situation was solved through calmly, gently, and
been angry with a fellow volunteer for gossiping respectfully explaining the purpose and spirit of
about her behind her back. She had already the program, emphasizing that it was not a job,
decided to take revenge by saying bad things but a relief project that would benefit the whole
about the other volunteer, but after the training community.
she realized that this wouldn’t make anything
better. Instead, they talked it over and made At the end of the final class, everyone was
peace. very excited to participate in and lead the Cash-
for-Relief program as role models. I believe
To wrap up the training, participants were that the ultimate success of Cash-for-Relief is in
asked to think of problematic situations that large part due to the wonderful example set by
could potentially occur during the Cash-for- our local volunteers, and I am confident that its
Relief program and suggest how these situations benefits will not end there.
could be resolved with gratitude, respect, and

Training participants sign “love”
in the song “One Family.”
Photo: Mike Tang

We only have room for gratitude in our heart, not grievances.
Jing Si Aphorism by Dharma Master Cheng Yen
www.us.tzuchi.org | 31