As Tzu Chi members, we never forget Master Cheng Yen’s three aspirations: "May all people’s hearts be purified, all societies be in harmony, and the world be free of disasters."
Tzu Chi's role in global humanitarian aid is multifaceted. We provide material assistance, support education, care for the elderly, assist the disadvantaged, and respond to disasters. We also foster community development and build international friendships. Furthermore, we are committed to enhancing digital capabilities, ensuring information security, and upholding humanistic values. In response to the increasing frequency of natural and human-made disasters globally and the widening wealth gap, we continuously adapt our strategies to address evolving challenges.
In 2024, the Earth's average surface temperature reached a historic high of 1.6°C, exceeding the pre-industrial target of 1.5°C. This rise has led to more frequent natural disasters. Furthermore, human-induced calamities have also become more severe. Economic and political confrontations have escalated military conflicts, with war-related fatalities now exceeding those from natural disasters. Additionally, presidential elections in over 70 countries in 2024 have heightened international political uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. These are challenges that global charitable organizations like Tzu Chi must face and overcome in their humanitarian missions.
In the past year, major disasters affected four of the five continents, excluding Australia. These included a major earthquake on Japan's Noto Peninsula, the April 3 Hualien earthquake in Taiwan, deadly hurricanes in the United States, historic floods in Spain, historic wildfires in Chile, floods in three East African countries, and typhoons in six Southeast Asian nations.
Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide are actively engaged in emergency disaster relief operations. They provided various forms of assistance, including financial aid, essential living supplies (such as hot meals, blankets, and clean water), post-disaster cleanup, house repairs, permanent reconstruction, educational grants, and emergency consolation funds. Globally, the total instances of assistance exceeded 980,000.
A particularly noteworthy event was the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Japan's Noto Peninsula on January 1, 2024. Thirteen days later, with power and water still unavailable, Tzu Chi volunteers from Japan and the Taiwan headquarters provided the first hot meals to quake-affected residents in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture. They distributed consolation funds in five phases across seven severely affected cities and towns, reaching nearly 40,000 households. The sight of Tzu Chi volunteers kneeling to comfort the elderly demonstrated sincere, boundless, and cross-border compassion, moving Japanese parliamentarians and government officials. Following the April 3 Hualien earthquake, within four hours, volunteers finished setting up a temporary shelter at Zhonghua Elementary School. Collaborations between the government and charity organizations allowed affected residents to receive comprehensive physical, mental, and spiritual care, earning significant coverage and recognition from both Japanese and Taiwanese media.
After wildfires in Los Angeles, USA, Tzu Chi volunteers swiftly mobilized, providing care and distributing consolatory funds to 4,390 households. One volunteer, whose own home was also razed in the fire, dedicated herself to relief efforts from start to finish, receiving special commendation from the Mayor of Los Angeles. In Taiwan, an earthquake in Chiayi severely affected Tainan. Tzu Chi volunteers immediately mobilized to provide care and conduct house repairs, ranging from minor repairs for lightly to moderately affected households to permanent home reconstruction for severely affected ones. The timely involvement of Tzu Chi volunteers in the southern region, supported by repair volunteers across Taiwan, garnered sincere gratitude from the Tainan city government and affected residents.
For sustainable development, we steadfastly advance our charitable missions and actively undertake corporate social responsibility, contributing across all environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects. In 2024, we received 19 domestic and international awards for sustainable governance, sustainable development, leadership, health and wellbeing, and social innovation. For example, the "Tzu Chi Foundation 2022-2023 Sustainability Report" received the Platinum Award in the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Awards. The PaGamO gamified environmental education and disaster prevention knowledge learning platform won gold for Best ESG Campaign or Case Study to Improve Education or Access to Education at the ESG & Sustainability Awards 2024, recognized for its innovative environmental education efforts.
Actively engaging in international discourse, Tzu Chi maintains a presence at United Nations Climate Change Conferences, collaborates with leading international academic institutions, and participates in international forums. We advocate for sustainable actions rooted in compassion and altruism, strengthening collaborations for common goodness to address the worsening challenges of global climate change. Simultaneously, Tzu Chi values youth empowerment, encouraging young people to utilize information technology to spread the philosophy of Tzu Chi's "Great Love" as a refreshing current, leveraging their action and positive influence.
Upholding Master Cheng Yen’s teachings of Humanistic Buddhism, Tzu Chi volunteers are committed to transforming the Buddha’s teaching from "Thus have I heard" to the action of "Thus I practice." Master Cheng Yen teaches her disciples to walk the Bodhisattva Path, realizing the actions of Bodhisattvas described in scriptures in today's world. The spontaneous mobilization of Tzu Chi volunteers in the face of disasters is a living example of the scriptural ideal of "Bodhisattvas emerging from the earth."
I sincerely thank Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide for their selfless contributions and am deeply grateful for Master Cheng Yen's teachings and leadership. As we mark Tzu Chi's 59th anniversary this year, we look forward to uniting Tzu Chi volunteers worldwide to document and compile the past sixty years of Tzu Chi into the Tzu Chi Canon, laying a solid foundation to pass on the Jing Si Dharma Lineage and create a sustainable future for the Tzu Chi School of Buddhism.
CEO of Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation
Po-Wen Yen
(From the 2024 Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation Annual Report)
