Charity

When her mentor, Master Yin Shun, asked Master Cheng Yen to leave the coastal town of Hualien to preside over a temple in central Taiwan, she instead took a chance at remaining in Hualien to carry out her charity work.. On April 14, 1966, Master Cheng Yen founded the Tzu Chi Merits Society with only four disciples, two followers and the help of thirty housewives providing relief and assistance for the poor.

The small group earned their living by sewing one pair of baby shoes per day. They would sew extra pairs to bring in additional money for the charity fund. The thirty housewives would set aside fifty cents of their grocery money into a bamboo "piggy bank" before they went to the market each day. The first five years were extremely trying for Master Cheng Yen and her small group of followers. Yet throughout the hardships they never touched the charity fund even when circumstances such as losing land or not having enough to eat threatened to dissolve all their hard work. They just worked extra hard to earn enough money to sustain themselves and never gave up on their mission to help the poor.

Within those first five years, the Tzu Chi Merits Society helped fifteen families, serving a total of thirty-one elderly and ailing impoverished people. Support and participation for the program grew as word about compassion and relief spread beyond Hualien. The program gathered strength in numbers and drew support from other parts of Taiwan and its nearby islands to eventually form the Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation over four million volunteers partake in today.

Today, Tzu Chi's charity work has been extended to international endeavors. These projects in international relief uphold Tzu Chi principles of respect and administering direct aide. Assessing the situational needs of victims is a priority Tzu Chi undertakes before providing any relief aide during its mission. Distribution of relief supplies is placed directly in the hands of the victims with respect and gratitude. As long as there are victims of disaster, Tzu Chi people will be the first at the scene and the last to leave. This is Master Cheng Yen's ideal for the mission of charity and compassion relief.

Relief supplies include emergency funds, long-term and regular living subsidies, rice, medical allowances, home care products, school fee allowances, and funeral coverage. Services provided include emergency medical assistance, home repair and renovation and informational, referral, and case-related services.