Relief Efforts

Mr. Robert Hauser, the person in charge of the World Food Programmed (WFP) in Pyongyang, was aware of Supreme Master Ching Hai's past assistance to the flood disaster in Korea last year. Once again, Master's quick action in showing Her loving concern, this time about the food shortage has touched Mr. Hauser. Besides helping to arrange for the shipment of rice, he and the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee have also invited members of the Association to join in the distribution of the "rice of love" and give the hungry and desperate brethren in North Korea some spiritual comfort.

Supreme Master Ching Hai and fellow practitioners of Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association contributed two thousand tons of rice. Furthermore, She compassionately added five thousand cans of powdered milk to this contribution for those children in need, estimated over US$500,000. All of these contributions are on the way to North Korea. The shipment is expected to arrive in North Korea in early July. The North Korea Embassy in Cambodia has also been very active in the relief effort. Members of the Embassy are highly impressed by Master's loving concern and have expressed that they would like to thank Her personally.

Dhaka, Bangladesh was severely hit by a tornado with deaths and injured victims reaching one thousand. It was a particularly serious disaster. After knowing of the mishap, Supreme Master Ching Hai immediately instructed the executive staff of the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association to send emergency aid quickly to the suffering victims.

Last year, when Bangladesh was overcome by floods, Supreme Master Ching Hai sent a relief fund of US$20,000 via the United Nation's Department of Humanitarian Affairs (DHA) in Geneva. On contacting the same department again this time, it was then discovered that the relief fund had not yet been delivered due to some administrative reason on the part of Bangladesh. Despite this, Supreme Master Ching Hai still sent another US$10,000 to the United Nation's DHA relief fund, making it US$30,000 all together. It was hoped that this fund, full of God's love, would bring comfort at the earliest possible time to the suffering souls of the disaster.

In the reply letter from the United Nation's DHA, apart from thanking Supreme Master Ching Hai for Her compassionate assistance, they also reported that this relief fund would be used to buy fast-growing vegetable seeds which would be distributed to the severely hit inhabitants of the disaster area. It was also mentioned that because of the extreme damage and loss caused by this disaster, the Bangladesh government had changed its previous policy of 'refusing foreign aid'. It is expected that this international aiding activity will soon proceed smoothly.