Date

·  7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes Haiti.

·   Tzu Chi establishes Emergency Coordination Center in Tzu Chi USA HQ.

·   Meeting with Tzu Chi Global HQ, Tzu Chi USA and Tzu Chi Dominican Republic office, focusing on:
(1) Relief aid distribution
(2) Medical assistance
(3) Global fundraising

·   Coordination meeting with other humanitarian organizations.

·   Tzu Chi relief team and a team of Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA) doctors are on standby for dispatch. 

·   Tzu Chi’s global fundraising campaign kicks off.

·   Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center in the US establishes contact with local volunteer in Haiti. 

·   Tzu Chi establishes Emergency Coordination Center at Tzu Chi's Dominican Republic office. 

·   Tzu Chi volunteer in Haiti scheduled to attend FEMA meetings in Haiti.

·   Tzu Chi announces it will provide mid-term and long-term relief in Haiti, besides immediate relief. 

·   First phase of global fundraising campaign in 16 countries: US, Canada, UK, Denmark, Paraguay, Argentina, Jordan, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Japan.

·   US Tzu Chi volunteers hold nationwide street fundraisers (30 locations in Southern California alone). 

·   Integrate nationwide medical manpower to be on standby for the next few months to provide medical services. 

·   Global fundraising campaign continues.  US volunteers hold nationwide street fundraisers.

·   The CEO of Tzu Chi USA as well as a team of volunteers from the US arrive at the Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center in the Dominican Republic.

·   The CEO of Tzu Chi USA announces that teams of volunteers from the US will be stationed in the Dominican Republic for the next few months.

·   Tzu Chi relief assessment team, along with Senator Juan Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez (who is also a Tzu Chi volunteer) and guards from the Dominican Republic, meet with Tzu Chi volunteers in Haiti at the border (Jimani) to provide relief supplies. The trip takes a total of 5 hours, from Santo Domingo to Barahona, then to Jimani.

·   People in 29 countries have joined in the first phase of Tzu Chi’s global fundraising campaign.

·   Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center in the Dominican Republic prepares for the relief assessment team’s departure to Haiti.

·   Tzu Chi relief assessment team, along with Senator Juan Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez and guards from the Dominican Republic, leave Santo Domingo for Barahona.  They stay overnight in Barahona, in Senator Rodriguez’s mother’s house, before departing for Haiti on 1/21 morning.

·   The relief assessment team travels from Barahona (Dominican Republic) to the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.  The team sees people on the streets using tree branches and cloth to set up temporary sleeping area outdoors.  Most bodies on the streets (outside of city center) have been cleared. Some people on the streets recognize Tzu Chi from prior relief work, so they approach and greet Tzu Chi team.

·   The team visits an orphanage (with 133 orphans) which Tzu Chi distributed aid to in 2009.  They still use Tzu Chi’s eco-friendly blankets and plastic sheets distributed last year.  They recognize Tzu Chi from last year and they shouted “Tzu Chi, Tzu Chi” when they see the relief assessment team in Tzu Chi uniform.  

·   The team visits a school with 1,000 students. 200 students are still buried under the rubbles.  The structure of the building is very poor, which leads to the collapse of the building. 

·   Tzu Chi relief assessment team visits OECC office in Port-au-Prince.  OECC manager is very touched to see Tzu Chi and offers to have Tzu Chi team stay in their office.

·   Congressman Joel in Haiti, who visited Tzu Chi global headquarters in 2009 after Tzu Chi provided relief in Haiti in January 2009, meets up with Tzu Chi relief assessment team in Haiti.  He will get additional support from police in Haiti to support Tzu Chi’s relief efforts and connect Tzu Chi with the prime minister in Haiti. 

·   The first shipment of goods (including eco-friendly blankets, instant rice, instant powder, utensils, etc.), weighing approximately 10 tons, has been delivered by plane (to the Dominican Republic) on January 22 (will arrive in the Dominican Republic by 1/26). Second shipment will arrive later.

·   Tzu Chi continues to attend meetings with other organizations, as well as conference calls with the White House, USAID.

·   The 2^nd relief assessment team from the US arrives in the emergency coordination center in the Dominican Republic, bringing a small amount of medical supplies and goods.

·   Nationwide street fundraisers continue in the US on 1/23 and 1/24.

·   Tzu Chi has received full support from OECC, and will set up a temporary base in OECC office in Port-au-Prince. 

·   2^nd relief assessment team arrives in Haiti in the morning. They visit an orphanage in the outskirt of Port-au-Prince, as well as talk to US soldiers who are distributing aid, in order to seek support on security issue when conducting distribution later on.

·   Tzu Chi volunteers in the Dominican Republic visit the injured earthquake survivors at Hospital Municipal Cabral and distribute aid and provide care.

·   4,615 volunteers throughout the US are mobilized to conduct street fundraisers over the weekend. 

·   According to the asst. manager of OECC, he sees how united the Haitians are after this earthquake.  Local people help out one another, and are more united than before the earthquake.  The only chaotic area is in city center.

·   The Tzu Chi relief assessment team conducts home visits today.  There is a local orphanage owned by a lady, Nicole, who was educated and worked in the US.  In the orphanage, there are 250 orphans.  Since the building of the orphanage is partially damaged, Nicole has asked the orphans to go back to their adopted family’s home, which are in poverty-stricken areas.  The relief assessment team goes with Nicole to visit some of the extremely poor families. 

·   One of the girls from the orphanage is injured but cannot see a doctor, so the relief assessment team takes out a medical kit to help the girl with her wound.  However, since the wound is deep, the relief assessment team refers the girl to the medical team staying at the OECC office to provide further medical aid.   

·   Nicole says that the 250 orphans are placed in different households, and there is a total of 2,000 people in that neighborhood that are suffering.  The relief assessment team will evaluate how to distribute aid to some local orphanages.

·   MSH in Haiti has requested Tzu Chi to provide food, medical supplies and eco-friendly blankets to their volunteers in Haiti.

·   One of the drivers and body guards for the relief assessment team shows the relief assessment team a disaster site (in St. Gerard) that is severely damaged, with bodies hanging on the buildings.  However, that part of the town has not received much help since the earthquake struck.

·   2^nd assessment team will conduct further assessment relating to transportation, security, communication, living situation, distribution sites and methods, local wages in Haiti, evaluation of mid-long term relief, etc.

·   Tzu Chi relief assessment team will meet with local volunteers in Haiti tomorrow and discuss how to initiate a relief work program (like what Tzu Chi did in the Philippines after Typhoon Ketsana struck, and Tzu Chi volunteers, along with 80,000 workers/residents participating in Tzu Chi’s relief work program, cleaned up a city in 18 days).

·   Tzu Chi relief assessment team will attend NGO meetings tomorrow, as well as visit other individuals and organizations to plan for immediate relief distribution as well as mid-long term relief work in Haiti.

·   Tzu Chi USA is in the process of integrating nationwide volunteers and medical manpower and resources to be on standby for the next few months.

·   Currently, global headquarters still has 28 tons of instant rice, 1 ton of instant corn powder, 50,000 eco-friendly blankets and 30,000 sets of utensils (a total of 17 cargo containers) of supplies on standby, ready to be shipped to Haiti.

·   Tzu Chi will focus on areas that have not been helped, instead of going into the center of Port-au-Prince. 

·   Tzu Chi continues to prepare for mid-long term relief in Haiti.