By   Hsiu-Lien Chu, Fernanda Wu | Chile 

On March 21, Tzu Chi volunteers from Santiago, Chile, drove two hours to visit a primary school in Las Cabras, Escuela República de Grecia. They brought 700,000 pesos (approximately USD 741) to provide the school with ingredients for healthy vegetarian cooking classes and equipment for the science laboratory. 

Coinciding with World Down Syndrome Day, the school organized painting and samba dance classes for students and teachers to raise awareness about Down syndrome. The volunteers arrived at noon, finding the children painting under their teachers’ guidance. Seeing the familiar “Tzu Chi Auntie,” the children rushed to greet and hug volunteer Fernanda Wu. “She is our idol,” the children exclaimed. Fernanda had a joyful time painting with these little angels. 

Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Food 

In the healthy vegetarian cooking class, the children, wearing hats and masks, were ready to showcase their skills. The teacher, Mailing, who has Chinese heritage, felt a special connection with the volunteers. 

Mailing explained that children often have preconceived notions that vegetarian food is not tasty. “I want to change this mindset and teach them to make delicious and healthy vegetarian dishes through cooking classes,” she said. She named her class “Healthy and Delicious Vegetarian Food.” 

Today, she planned to teach the children how to make carrot cupcakes. To speed up the process, she had pre-measured all the ingredients at home. Fernanda helped with the preparations by placing paper cups into molds. Before starting, Principal Jorge expressed gratitude to the Tzu Chi Foundation for sponsoring the ingredients for the vegetarian cooking class and the equipment for the science lab, and the children applauded happily. 

Mailing distributed detailed recipes to the students, listing the ingredients needed, such as flour, baking powder, carrots, and eggs. The children cracked eggs into containers, and Fernanda helped add brown sugar to the egg mixture, allowing the children to take turns whisking. They also added vanilla extract to enhance the cake’s aroma. 

Each child had the opportunity to participate, carefully taking turns whisking the egg mixture. Finally, they added flour and dried fruits, mixing everything into a batter and pouring it into molds. Mailing had already preheated the oven, reminding the children that it needed at least ten minutes to preheat. 

While waiting for the cupcakes to bake, Mailing asked, “Who likes to eat carrots?” Most of the children raised their hands. “Congratulations, because some children don’t eat carrots, lettuce, or other vegetables. When you make this at home, what can you use instead of carrots?” 

“You can use fruits,” one child answered. “Correct!” Mailing praised the child. Seeing Mailing’s patient guidance, Fernanda told the students, “This is a great class, and you have a wonderful teacher. Congratulations, everyone!” The classroom erupted in applause. 

When the cupcakes were ready, the children happily took their creations to share with their families. Mailing invited volunteer Chin-Chiu Liao to taste the results. “Delicious!” he exclaimed with a thumb-up. 

After the pandemic, Chile experienced severe inflation, and school budgets were limited. Tzu Chi’s assistance provided timely support, ensuring that the children’s education was not affected. This small act has brought great benefits, achieving multiple goals. 

Gifts of Love Bring Little Hands of Love 

On March 23, Tzu Chi’s charitable work once again combined with education. At noon, volunteers arrived at a Chinese school founded by the Taiwanese Association in Santiago, Chile. They had pre-arranged to use the school grounds to organize school supplies, sports shoes, and personal hygiene items for underprivileged children at a public kindergarten in Huechuraba. 

 They prepared sixteen sets of supplies. Fernanda and local volunteer Cesar arranged the school supplies on tables, while other volunteers placed hygiene items, and finally packed everything into boxes, each labeled with a child’s name. Among the volunteers was Nelson’s family, including his wife Cecilia and son Nelson Jr. Fernanda. Having participated in various volunteer activities with his parents over the past few years, Nelson Jr. who has autism, is now interacting more with people. 

After packing everything, the volunteers loaded the donated items into cars. At 1:30 PM, eleven volunteers, divided into three cars, headed to the kindergarten. Upon arrival, they displayed the donated items on tables. Cesar explained the contents to the children and parents, mentioning that the brand-new sports shoes were donated by Cheng-yuan Liang, a Taiwanese entrepreneur and philanthropist who found success in South America in the mid-80s. His donation once again demonstrated Taiwan’s love for the Chilean community. 

The public kindergarten has sixteen children aged two to four, all from underprivileged families, attending for free. The young children, accompanied by their mothers, received the school supplies and sports shoes. 

The friendly Cecilia was responsible for signing and verifying the items. Little girls, accompanied by their mothers, received the supplies and tried on the new shoes, their faces beaming with smiles. Katarina, a university student and Tzu Chi youth volunteer, always participates in activities during her free time. Today, she was actively involved in packing and distributing the items. 

“Thank you very much, Tzu Chi. We appreciate your loving activities. God bless you!” said kindergarten teacher Karina, expressing her gratitude and blessing for the volunteers. To show their appreciation, the children made “little hand gestures of love” to give back to the volunteers. The volunteers happily accepted these precious little hands and responded with warm hugs. 

At 3:30 PM, the event concluded successfully. Parents, children, and volunteers took joyful group photos. “Thank you for the gifts,” a mother told the volunteers. No matter how poor, children should not be deprived of education. For the sake of the children’s future, Tzu Chi volunteers are willing to form bonds of love with them, ensuring they receive an education and embrace a bright future. 

The generous support of donors and the dedication of volunteers have made a meaningful difference in the lives of children in Chile. From school supplies to healthy cooking classes and science lab equipment, these efforts ensure that the children have access to resources that enrich their education and well-being. The smiles, gratitude, and enthusiasm shown by the children and their families reflect the impact that these contributions have on their daily lives, opening doors to brighter futures and stronger communities.