In order to provide assistance to the impoverished survivors of Typhoon Nina and rebuild their homes, Master Cheng Yen called upon everyone to donate to the relief effort.

The Tzu Chi Merit Association prepared to construct the housing in Kangle Village, Xincheng Township, for the poor survivors of Typhoon Nina.

After evaluating the survivors’ circumstances, the foundation decided to set aside a plot of land at the Abode to build housing for orphans and widows.

The first construction project began at the Abode with the allocation of land and the construction of six 42.9-square-meter structures. Construction was completed by the end of February the following year.

During the Medicine Buddha Dharma Assembly, Master Cheng Yen made an account of the expenditures for providing shelter for the Typhoon Nina survivors.

The second construction project began in Kangle Village near the Community Activity Center. Construction was completed at the end of June.

After Typhoon Nina, Tzu Chi’s Second Construction Project in Kangle Village became known as the Tzu Chi Kangle Building Complex.

From Master Cheng Yen’s essay, “Requesting Aid to Build Shelters for Impoverished Survivors of Typhoon Nina.”

On August 3, Hualien was battered by the fierce and thunderous gales of Typhoon Nina. The storm caused major disasters in Xincheng, Xiulin, and Hualien City, in Hualien County. Many people were left injured, missing, or deceased, and over 500 homes were knocked down.

Although the government distributed relief funds after the typhoon, they were limited in scope and inadequate to relieve the situation of the poor. The few thousand NTD was barely enough to ensure that they would not have to worry about starving for a while. But for the poor, rebuilding their homes is the most immediate issue.

At present, a handful of survivors who were able to fix their homes have done so, restoring peace to their lives. However, there are still people who are suffering from extreme poverty, people who were suffering even before the disaster. They have no roof over their heads or floor beneath their feet. These poor widows and orphans squat next to broken walls for shelter; it is a truly sorrowful and extremely tragic sight.

Our foundation is currently helping the poor who are unable to rebuild their own homes. We are actively planning the construction of buildings to provide the homeless with long-term shelter. However, this immense construction project does not merely require NT$300-500,000, but potentially NT$600-800,000 or more. In terms of our current financial capacity, this NT$800,000 price tag already surpasses our budget by 70%. Although this exceeds what our organization is capable of undertaking, whenever we see or hear about those who are suffering due to the typhoon’s destruction of their homes, we are truly inspired to give rise to compassion! Because of this, we have no choice but to act on behalf of these impoverished people who have been most affected by the disaster. With the greatest sincerity, we call upon all virtuous people to practice compassion and give help to those in need, so that we may quickly complete our mission to provide shelter for the survivors of the typhoon. In this way, people of virtue can attain limitless merits and virtues!

Construction on shelter for the impoverished survivors of Typhoon Nina began on the 29^th of last month. Six families will move in to their newly built homes before the Spring Festival. The purchase of land from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation is still underway.

While our foundation planned to build housing for the impoverished survivors of Typhoon Nina, we decided to save time by designating a plot of land that the Jing Si Abode owned nearby as the construction site. The building process began on December 29^th, and disaster survivors will be able to move in before the Spring Festival.

Tzu Chi was able to build shelters for the disaster survivors thanks to the donations from virtuous people throughout the country who heeded the calls to donate and worked together to promote this great cause. Tzu Chi originally decided to purchase a plot of land in Kangle Village, Xincheng Township, from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation. The plot was over 958 square meters. However, due to the complex legal procedures required to buy land, the land was purchased under the name of Xicheng Township Office and reported to the Hualien County Government. Through the Hualien County Government, we issued a formal application to the sugar factory in Hualien, which then sent the request to company headquarters. On top of this, the transaction could only be completed after gaining approval at the company’s board meeting and from the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

On December 27^th, Hualien County Government Secretary-General Zhang Wenbo, County Council Secretary-General Chen Xunqing, County Government Department of Finance Chief Ruan Yipin, and Taiwan Sugar Company’s Director of Communications Gu Xinyi all met with Tzu Chi to discuss our purchase of the land. They decided to allot the Aftercare Committee of Typhoon Nina NT$90,000 for the purchase of the land. Secretary-General Zhang hoped that construction would begin in the beginning of January so that shelter could be provided to the survivors as soon as possible. However, Director Gu believed it best to receive proper approval before beginning construction.

It was under these conditions that Master Cheng Yen had a discussion with the commissioners and a survey was conducted among the survivors. Through this process, they discovered that some of the impoverished survivors of the typhoon and their dependents had relocated, with the exception of the five families of the widows. Upon seeing the sad circumstances of the widows and orphans, Tzu Chi decided to first use some of the abode’s own land to build six homes to house them so that they would not be left without shelter.

These six buildings are built out of cement and rebar, and each home is 42.9 square meters, comprising two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Hualien County Council Member Kang Dexing took on this construction project with his company. According to the compassionate Mr. Kang, he did not profit from building these homes; he did this completely out of his dedication to serving the poor.

The Hualien Tzu Chi Merit Association collects donations to construct housing for the poor, completing a total of nine buildings to shelter typhoon survivors.

[Reporting from Hualien] After Typhoon Nina’s assault on Hualien and the devastation it caused on August 3 of last year, Hualien’s Buddhist Tzu Chi Merit Association began an initiative to collect donations for the construction of housing for impoverished survivors of the disaster, receiving strong support nationwide. In the first phase of construction, six buildings were planned, and they were completed in February of this year. During the second phase, three buildings were constructed, all of which were completed this month. As the survivors moved into these new residences, they expressed their fervent gratitude for the Tzu Chi Merit Association’s charitable acts, as well as the support and warmth pouring in from all corners of society.

Yesterday (July 25^th), the head of Tzu Chi, Master Cheng Yen, announced, “Donations totaled NT$544,601, and the construction of the nine buildings cost a total of NT$675,000. The outstanding NT$130,398.60 was provided by Tzu Chi.”

The six buildings constructed during the first period were built behind Tzu Chi’s headquarters on the right side, on land belonging to the Jing Si Abode. These buildings were divided among six families of survivors. The three homes constructed during the second phase were built near Xincheng Township’s Kangle Village Community Activity Center. Each building contains three rooms, and together, they provide housing for nine individual disaster survivors.

The nine buildings were constructed with steel and cement, and each is 42.9 square-meters large. Since they were unable to rebuild their own homes, disaster survivors took refuge in the Community Activity Center after the typhoon, on August 3 of last year. Thanks to the successful construction of the homes built with funds donated by people from all corners of society, they will no longer be without a home.

We hope that all impoverished people will be safe and sound—constructing shelters and housing for the survivors of Typhoon Nina

On August 3, 1975, Typhoon Nina swept across Hualien, causing severe damage in Xincheng, Xiulin, and Hualien City. The members of the Tzu Chi Merit Association witnessed the sad state of many disaster survivors who had “no roof over their heads or a floor beneath their feet.” Because of this, they decided to collect donations for disaster relief, calling upon virtuous people throughout Taiwan to contribute to the construction of shelters and homes for survivors of Typhoon Nina.

The construction was divided into two phases. The six houses built during the first phase were constructed on the right rear side of the Tzu Chi Merit Association. The land was owned by the association and was given to six families of survivors. During the second phase of construction, nine houses were built near Xincheng Township’s Kangle Village Community Activity Center, housing a total of nine residents. In the end, the cost of the land and the 15 housing units came to NT$675,000, which was donated by the Merit Association and virtuous people all across Taiwan.

Construction began on December 29, 1975; the two phases of construction were completed in February and June of 1976. The second phase of construction covered over 957 square meters and was built on NT$90,000 worth of land purchased from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation.

The bureaucratic procedures for procuring state-owned land are very complex. During that time, with the assistance of authorities of the relevant public agencies, their staff members, and the heads of the Taiwan Sugar Company, the case was finally reported to the county government, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs finally approved the transaction.

At present, all nine buildings at the Kangle Village Community Activity Center continue to be inhabited.

Tzu Chi’s Kangle Construction Project—A Fountain of Kindness and Love

Tzu Chi’s Kangle construction project began in 1975, and now it boasts over thirty years of history. It was originally constructed for those lone elderly survivors left homeless by Typhoon Nina, who had been taking shelter in the Kangle Village Community Activity Center. Years later, as those elders gradually passed away, it eventually became a shelter for the homeless. Over the past thirty years, the complex at Kangle has undergone numerous renovations, and while the structure of these buildings is simple, it is sturdy beyond compare.

There are four elderly men who live in the Kangle complex, Chencai, Jiang Rongci, Lin Jiqing, and Bai Laifa. They make the place seem like a fountain of love and compassion. In addition to scheduled care visits from Tzu Chi’s social workers, there are Tzu Chi medical volunteers, local Hualien volunteers, and members of the Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association who would drop in from time to time to the complex to provide support for these lovable and unique elderly men. In addition to bringing them happiness and laughter, they also help clean the Kangle complex, tidying it up and so on. Everywhere you look, you’ll see the mark of Tzu Chi volunteers. These volunteers view these old men like their own grandparents, and thus they radiate happiness and love and spread the seeds of goodness that grow deep within these elders’ hearts.

Because of this assistance from Tzu Chi, even though these elderly men have experienced periods of instability in their pasts, after finding a stable place of refuge, they have been able to turn their lives around and work to benefit society. Mr. Chencai lives on his military pension, and he is still able to save money. Along with the money he saved by selling the rocks he collects, this allows him to dedicate a large portion of his savings to Tzu Chi. He believes that this is the best way to help people who are needier than himself. Jiang Rongci relies upon government provisions for the poor and disabled. Yet during last year’s Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, he generously contributed NT$10,000. The story of Mr. Jiang and Mr. Chen was broadcasted as a drama on Da Ai television two years ago. It was entitled “An Orange Sunset,” and countless people were very moved by it. Lin Jiqing relies upon a low-to-medium disability allowance of NT$4,000 a month. Still, he donates a fixed amount of NT$200 each month to express his love to others. Finally, although Bai Laifa relies upon Tzu Chi’s assistance, he works hard at the recycling center, and has become a guardian of the earth. On the streets of Beipu, many people recognize the silhouette of his bike and cart loaded with recyclables.

The elderly residents of the Kangle complex look to the Tzu Chi Abode for spiritual support. Whenever something happens in their lives, big or small, they come to the Abode to discuss these issues. Tzu Chi’s social workers always help them resolve minor matters in their daily lives and listen to any issues that are bothering them. These elderly men treat these Tzu Chi members as their very own family members. Chen Peizhen, a social worker with extensive experience assisting these four elders, said, “In the beginning of my relationship with them, they called me ‘Ms. Chen’. However, as time passed, they started referring to me by my first name, as if I were one of their younger family members. I could really tell there was a difference.” What moved her most was that despite relying on assistance from Tzu Chi, they still found their own way to give back to society. This strengthened her conviction that every living person has to find a way to demonstrate their altruistic potential and bring purity to society.