On October 5, Typhoon Koinu struck southern Taiwan, with winds reaching up to 17 levels on the Beaufort scale. Orchid Island (Lanyu) reported significant damage to houses and public infrastructure due to the storm. In response to a request from the Taitung County Social Affairs Department, Tzu Chi's headquarters in Hualien swiftly started relief work. After confirming that the typhoon had moved away, it arranged for a cargo ship to transport essential supplies from Taitung to Orchid Island.

Mr. Yen Po-Wen, CEO of the Tzu Chi Foundation, immediately convened a special meeting to address the devastation on Orchid Island. In addition to dispatching representatives to assess the situation on October 6th, they received requests for supplies from the Taitung County Social Affairs Department; the officials emphasized the need for assistance on Orchid Island.

Upon learning that a cargo ship would deliver supplies to Orchid Island, Tzu Chi promptly gathered relevant relief items, including vegan instant rice, soy floss with nuts, ready-to-eat whole-grain rice, and canned multigrain porridge. They were loaded onto a 2.5-ton truck and departed from the Jing Si Abode (Tzu Chi headquarters) at 10:10 a.m. on the 6th, heading for Taitung and then onward to Orchid Island for distribution.

The Tzu Chi Foundation expressed deep concern about the disaster on Orchid Island. Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi, sincerely wishes to collaborate with government agencies and address the needs of the local community. Their goal is to assist the residents of Orchid Island to return to normal daily life as soon as possible.

A Jing Si Aphorism says: “Even though we have no relationships with other living beings, their suffering is our suffering, and their pain is our pain. When their bodies hurt, my heart worries. When their bodies are wounded, my heart feels the pain. This is called ‘great compassion for all.’”

Join Tzu Chi. Let us make the world a better place.