Happy 28th Birthday, Tzu Chi Singapore
Tzu Chi Singapore has been around for 28 years, serving local communities with its four major missions, namely charity, medicine, education and humanistic culture. Its volunteer base gradually grew in size over time, enabling the foundation to reach out to more needy households in the community. Besides being dedicated in serving others, the volunteers also care for each other like a family. The social ties between volunteers have not worn off due to the pandemic. On the contrary, they are more united at heart, helping to support each other to tide over the ongoing crisis.
Five, four, three, two, one 28th anniversaryHappy Birthday .Happy 28th anniversary to Tzu Chi Singapore!
Tzu Chi Singapore has turned 28 years old! Due to fluctuating pandemic situation, volunteers had to gather online. Despite being at different locations, this 1.5-hour anniversary celebration programme was the combined effort of volunteers from around the island.
Anniversary Programme Planner, Lee Siew Lai：Although we can’t physically be together in conducting activities amid the pandemic, I still hope that we can stay united at heart. While we celebrate this day joyfully, we must still be vigilant and pious, we must continue to promote vegetarianism, and our Tzu Chi missions must not stop.
Although the volunteers have hardly met each other for more than a year, their care for each other have not dwindled a single bit. Among them was volunteer Lim Moi who often helped out at Jing Si Hall kitchen. When volunteers found out that Lim Moi, who lives alone, was not feeling well, they formed groups and took turns to look after her.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Ong Hui Shen：An elderly in her eighties or nineties living all by herself makes people worry. Sometimes when she doesn’t answer the phone for one to two hours when we callto remind her about her next day’s acupuncture appointment, we get very terrified. In the early days when she had lower back pain, she could not sit, stand nor lie for a long time. At that time, we took turns preparing lunch and dinner for her. Whoever was available was tasked to deliver food to her, and that lasted for two to three months.
Tzu Chi volunteer, Low Ching Chew：I think that in Tzu Chi, we don’t only help others, we have a lot of (volunteers who are like) family and friends (to us) too. The most important thing is to show care when care is needed.
Tzu Chi Singapore CEO, Low Swee Seh：Tzu Chi is our home. In this home, we embrace everyone. This is our spiritual home.
The theme for this year’s anniversary is “With you and me, there’s love and home”. In this big Tzu Chi family forged by dharma affinity, while everyone works together to relieve the suffering, the volunteers are the strongest support for each other as well.
