At Bodhgaya in India, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment, Tzu Chi continues to care for a poverty-stricken village called Silaunja. On May 30th, Tzu Chi volunteers went to the village to distribute supplies to 160 needy families and also provide bamboo banks. However, they faced a manpower shortage.

Bamboo Banks of Compassion

They sought the help of the villagers. During the pre-event preparations, the volunteers encouraged the entire village to join in. Some were sawing bamboo, making bamboo banks, and cleaning the bamboo; others, mostly women, took on the task of visiting each household and documenting the aid recipients. The entire village came together, treating the distribution as a significant event. Residents hoped that the positive energy generated would spread beyond their village.

Suno, Pinki, and Umesh

Suno, who is only in the first grade of primary school, wielded a saw with the same determination as the adults. He said; "I am helping to saw bamboo, which will be used for saving money."

Pinki, a villager, spent five hours cleaning the bamboo. At first, she was a bit slow; but, as she became more proficient, she could clean about 10 bamboo tubes every half an hour. She knew that these bamboo banks were meant to be given to people to save money and help others.

Umesh, another villager, spent the whole day sawing bamboo; he produced about 100 bamboo tubes. Despite feeling tired, he was happy because he knew the tubes were going to be used to save money and help others. He felt a sense of joy as he had contributed his effort to the cause.

Unexpected Spark

Villagers were responsible for making the bamboo banks, while volunteers searched for materials at the market in Bodhgaya. Earth-toned cloth and hemp ropes became the covers for the bamboo banks.

Tzu Chi volunteer, Loh Ya Jin  (羅雅珍)  from Malaysia, came up with the idea of using cloth as the cover of bamboo banks. This not only made it easier to obtain the materials but also allowed for recycling and reusability.

In addition to preparing the bamboo banks as small gifts, there was also a need to purchase supplies for the distribution. While introducing Tzu Chi and Jing Si Aphorisms at a grocery store, the volunteers unexpectedly sparked interest in Tzu Chi's distribution efforts among other customers. Malaysian Tzu Chi volunteer Kua Liang Ming (郭糧鳴) took down the contact information of those who expressed interest. Then he will invite them to participate in future activities.

Training

Although the Malaysian volunteers had been doing charitable work in  Silaunja village for some time, language remained a significant barrier. To address this, the volunteers enlisted local women to act as team leaders, using their neighborhood connections and fostering a sense of care within the community.

Ya-zhen Luo taught them: "Here, we have 4 or 5 houses, and there will be a group leader assigned to take care of each house. If there is anything that needs to be done, the group leader will lead other volunteers to handle it."

After days of busy preparations, the much-anticipated distribution day arrived. Everyone in the village dressed up for a joyous occasion, coming to receive the provisions — white rice and daily necessities -- and the bamboo banks. The smiles on the faces of the 160 families were radiant with happiness.

A Jing Si Aphorism says: “Hold on to the goodness in our heart at this present moment and take care to attend the duties that we have at hand.”

Join Tzu Chi. Let us spread Love to the needy.

Story by Yong Mun Fei and Amar from India