Tzu Chi rebuilding five schools in quake-stricken
Bam
The Taiwan Buddhist
Tzu Chi Foundation began rebuilding five schools in the ancient
Iranian city of Bam in April 2005 for local children whose
schools were demolished in a magnitude-6.3 earthquake on Dec.
26, 2003.
A joint ground-breaking ceremony was held
at the Najmieh Girl's Junior High School on April 28, 2005
with the participation of school teachers, local government
officials and a delegation of Tzu Chi representatives from
Taiwan, the Philippines and Jordan.
Besides the Najmieh school, the four other
schools being built by Tzu Chi are the Motahari, Fatamieh
and Parvin Etesami girl's schools and a boy's school. In total,
43 classrooms will be rebuilt.
Under the project schedule, two schools
will be completed in mid-September before the new semester
starts on Sept. 21, while the three others will be completed
by Dec. 25. Tzu Chi is also considering building a kindergarten
in the Bam area.
Palafox Associates, a leading international
urban planning and architectural firm in the Philippines,
was appointed by Tzu Chi to take charge of the project.
Tzu Chi volunteers based in the Philippines
had over the past year accompanied the architects in discussing
the details of the project with officials in Iran and with
Master Cheng Yen, founder of Tzu Chi, in Taiwan.
The founder and principal architect of
the firm, Felino Jun Palafox, described the project as "one
of the most challenging assignments" in his life because
he, a Catholic, was asked by a Buddhist organization, Tzu
Chi, to rebuild schools for Muslim children.
Jun Palafox said in an interview with a
Philippine magazine that he feels "honored and privileged
to take part in this charitable endeavor for reconstructing
what once was a great and historically rich city in the Middle
East and for participating in this surprising demonstration
of Buddhist, Muslim and Catholic cooperation."
The December 2003 temblor claimed more
than 45,000 lives in the Bam area. Over 30,000 people were
injured. A total of 114 schools with 758 classrooms required
reconstruction.
Soon after the disaster, Tzu Chi dispatched
medical and relief teams to provide emergency aid to the victims.
In the first three months, Tzu Chi's aid included free clinical
services (treating about 600 people), 300 family medical kits,
3,000 blankets, 1,200 sanitary packs, 2,500 tons of rice (three-month
supply for about 80,000 survivors).
Tzu Chi, a humanitarian organization founded
in Taiwan in 1966, maintains chapters in over 30 countries.
Its volunteers often take prompt actions to deliver practical
aid to those most in need of help personally and with a respectful
manner.
