Tzu Chi History

On April 14, 1966, Venerable Master Cheng Yen founded the Tzu Chi Merits Society in Hualien with thirty followers, mostly housewives, who put aside fifty cents (US$0.013) a day of their grocery money to establish a charity fund. Their objective was to provide relief and assistance to the poor.

During the first five years, they helped a total of thirty-one elder and sickly poor people from fifteen families. As word got around, more people participated and the program gathered strength. It spread beyond Hualien to other parts of Taiwan, including nearby islands.

Today, there are Tzu Chi branches and associations all over the world, in Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, Austria, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Laos, Lesotho, and other countries.

For a more comprehensive history about Tzu Chi, please read "The Origins of Tzu Chi".