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After careful consideration, we decided not to distribute
the first-aid kits brought from Taiwan at the free clinic
because there were not enough to go around. Since the
kits only have English and Chinese instructions, local
people could misuse the medicine, which could be quite
hazardous. Therefore, school teachers are given priority
in receiving the kits.
Dr. Lin Shinn-zong, president of Tzu Chi Medical Center
in Hualien, Huang Hsing-chiao, director of the nursing
department at Yuli Tzu Chi Hospital, and Brother Lu
Fang-chuan went to the school next to our clinic early
in the morning.
The school lost 150 students and three teachers from
the tsunami. Although the school resumed studies last
week, most classes had not started yet because very
few students came back. Thus we were able to borrow
the desks and chairs from the school to use at the free
clinic.
Ever since Tzu Chi volunteers started relief activities
in the free clinic and the tent area next to the mosque,
students of the school grew more familiar with them.
Greeting the volunteers with smiles when they entered
the campus of the school, the students would ask the
volunteers' names and where they came from.
Director Huang Hsing-chiao taught K. S. Dilrukshi,
a computer teacher who can help translate, how to use
different kinds of medicines and medical supplies in
the first-aid kits. Later Dr. Lin presented each teacher
with a first-aid kit, and demonstrated the usage by
reading through and explaining the instruction pamphlet.
In order to make sure these teachers remembered correctly,
Dr. Lin even tested them. "What will you do when
the medicines run out?" No teacher could answer
this question since it was not mentioned previously.
Dr. Lin smiled and said, "Just show the pamphlet
to the pharmacy to refill the medicines."
Dr. Lin told the teachers: "Please safeguard these
kits. As long as there are people in need, you can use
the kits to help them. Therefore, in addition to using
the kits at home, you will also serve as a local medical
volunteer to take care of your neighbors." Based
on the number of teachers, we gave the school 72 first-aid
kits.
A 45-year-old salt merchant, S. T. Sumanthra, had lost
11 family members from the tsunami, including his wife
and three daughters. Only the body of his 18-year-old
daughter was found. Since his house was washed away,
he and his only son, nine-year-old Mushan, were temporarily
staying at his brother's place.
Sumanthra can speak English and Malay, and we felt
like old friends when Sister Lin Chui-lien chatted with
him in Malay. Sumanthra's brother had a nice house,
and many friendly family members showed strong support.
What Sumanthra worried about most though, was his son,
Mushan.
When the tsunami hit, Mushan grabbed on to a board
and floated for two days before being found two kilometers
away from home. Both his feet were injured. The wounds
were still visible, but the deepest scar remained in
his heart. Brother Lin Yen-huang, a photographer, recalled
previously seeing this little boy in a wrecked community
by the shore.
It was the same boy we saw when we followed another
tsunami victim back to his damaged house on Jan. 12.
He was wandering in the debris alone as if he was searching
for something. He wouldn't talk to anyone, but would
just sometimes stare at the ground, and sometimes at
the sea.
Dr. Hung Yu-ming held back his tears as he comforted
the boy. After applying medicine to Mushan's wounds,
Dr. Hung hugged and held the boy on his lap while talking
to him. Still, the boy remained mute. Mushan's gloomy
face finally gave way to a smile when teased by Brother
Pan Min-nan.
Sumanthra said Mushan was fine during the day, but
always asked for his mother and sisters at night. When
Sister Lin Chui-lien asked, "What do you like?"
Mushan's eyes shined and answered happily without hesitation:
"Marbles." We really wished that we had carried
local currency to buy him the marbles right away, hoping
the game could help him forget his sorrows.
When we were leaving, Dr. Hung held the little boy's
hand and walked with him outside. Sumanthra took out
a bottle of natural herb oil and poured it on each volunteer's
hands as a gesture of blessing. While we waved goodbyes
to the family, Mushan climbed on to a wall. He did not
wave but bid farewell to us with his clear and earnest
eyes. We don't expect Mushan to come out of the shadow
so soon, but hope that the comfort and care from Tzu
Chi volunteers would make him realize that there is
still love in this world.
Raseena, age 16, gave birth to a baby three days after
her husband died from the tsunami. Her house was washed
away, and she had to face this difficult fate at such
a young age. Without any job skills or savings, she
was forced to live with her parents in a small house,
which was feebly partitioned into three rooms to accommodate
her parents, two sisters and one brother-in- law.
Although she often had a look of uncertainty about
her, her eyes were full of motherly love when she looked
at her baby. This was the second time we visited her.
Dr. Hung carefully examined her baby. The loud and clear
cries indicated the baby was healthy, and luckily there
was plenty of breast milk from the mother.
We provided the family with biscuits, milk powders,
and other supplies, and reminded Rassena to register
as a tsunami victim in order to get more help from the
government. In the end, we passed on Master Cheng Yen's
blessings and love to the family and wished that their
lives would return back to normal soon.
It has been 20 days since the first Tzu Chi medical
relief team arrived in Sri Lanka. The tsunami victims
were gradually getting back to their normal lives. However,
mental readjustments and psychological counseling were
just beginning. The work of home visits should be carried
out with more depth, and we hope the future Tzu Chi
medical teams could put more emphasis on this issue
of helping tsunami victims to get out of their tragedies
and start new lives as soon as they can.
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