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Twelve relief volunteers from Tzu Chi Singapore arrived
in Colombo on Feb. 14. They joined 29 other Tzu Chi
volunteers who came from Malaysia for the relief mission.
The team will leave the capital for Hambantota on Feb.15
through the arrangements of Leader Day, a local trading
company.
Since the Tzu Chi free clinic in Hambantota operated
its last day on Feb. 3, this new team's main responsibility
will be the distribution of rice and other daily supplies.
This will be the second large-scale distribution by
Tzu Chi in Sri Lanka. The first distribution was successfully
conducted by Tzu Chi teams from the United States and
Canada before and after Chinese New Year (Feb. 9).
Brother David Liu arrived in Sri Lanka again on Feb.
13 to coordinate Tzu Chi's first case of special medical
aid in this country. The volunteers brought a 14-year-old
girl patient to a private hospital in Colombo that specialized
in cardiology. Lakmali suffers from a congenital heart
defect.
Because her family was poor and Hambantota lacked advanced
medical facilities, Lakmali had never received proper
treatment for her condition before. At the hospital,
Lakmali was thoroughly examined, using X-rays, EKG and
various scans. She will get a blood test on Feb. 15,
and her surgery is scheduled for March 1. The total
medical expense is estimated at US$5,000. Lakmali and
her mother are deeply grateful for the help.
Brother David Liu said that Tzu Chi will make the final
round of distribution of relief goods in the Hambantota
area in April, with the distribution work to be carried
out mainly by local volunteers.
On our way from Colombo to Hambantota, we can see that
nearly two months after the tsunami, countless tents
have sprouted from the ground like bamboo shoots. The
survivors have begun to repair their homes. Pedestrians
begin to crowd the streets. Life goes on.
Because schools were destroyed by the tsunami, classes
are temporarily held under tents. We stopped at Dintotha
elementary school in Galle. The teachers told us that
they had lost two teachers and six students. In addition,
625 of their students lost their homes and 16 have lost
their parents. As some of the school buildings were
destroyed, the 2,000-plus students are attending classes
under UNICEF tents temporarily set up for this purpose.
However, these tents are hot, noisy and dusty. The Department
of Education is planning a new school just 500 meters
away, which will also be funded by UNICEF.
Led by Brother Hsieh Ching-kuei and Brother David Liu,
our team visited some of our distribution centers and
storage sheds where we received the latest information
regarding the up-coming distribution process. Finally
we returned to the free clinic in Hambantota. Although
our medical relief has ended, the local volunteers will
continue to help with the distribution of daily supplies.
Tzu Chi volunteers from Singapore and Malaysia visited
the tents near the mosque on Feb. 15. People seemed
satisfied with their temporary residences as they relaxed
and socialized in their new community. The move-in ceremony
for an additional 100 tents will be held on Feb. 19.
Brother Chiu Ting-pin said that the Tzu Chi tent village
is especially lively at night as the lights are always
on, and the people are always full of energy.
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