Tzu Chi Raise funds for Africa
PHILIPSBURG:---The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation in collaboration with St. Dominic High International Baccalaureate (IB) students continued to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment when students delivered a presentation about this subject to 50 students enrolled in No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation’s After School Activities (ASA) Program at the Lion’s Building in Sucker Garden on Friday, April 5, 2019. A total of six IB students delivered what was described as a shocking, educational and interesting presentation about environmental and global warming to the excited students. At the end of the presentation, one of the ASA teachers said the information presented by the IB students had been very interesting and it coincided with ASA’s theme for this year, which is recycling. The teacher said the presentation to the ASA kids demonstrated why recycling is important and why trash should not be disposed of inappropriately particularly in waterways as this can affect aquatic life. She said ASA kids also learned about the importance of conserving water and the importance of keeping taps off when brushing their teeth and taking a when they are not using it. Some students were not familiar with the “outside world” and had been shocked and saddened by the effects of global warming on the environment and on animal life. “Some of them could not believe that kid at the other side of the world drink dirty water. They a lot and I hope that they take the message that they got from Tzu Chi (and IB students) to their homes and to their parents,” the teacher said thanking everyone for coming out. One student, who benefitted from the presentation, said what she saw in the presentation had been devastating and she will do her utmost to encourage others to do their part to protect Mother Nature. Later that same day, Tzu Chi also continued its efforts to raise funds for Africa. The funds raised for a project to help build shelters made of bricks for the survivors of the deadly cyclone Idai - a category 4 storm that brought weeks of rain and flooding to the poorest countries of Africa from March 4 to 21, 2019. Zimbabwe, Mozambique Malawi were hit particularly hard and about 765 persons died, hundreds missing, millions left homeless without food and water. A total of eight Tzu Chi volunteers participated in the drive. They held a prayer, before collecting the donation for the worthy cause. The Director of No kidding with Our Kids Foundation kept a bamboo bank to continue efforts to collect fund for the worthy cause.The public can also contribute to the cause by placing their donations on Tzu Chi’s relief account at Windward Islands Bank at WIB #21932201. On Saturday, April 6, 2019, a group of 11 more Tzu Chi volunteers including four from Key to Freedom, held another donation drive at Carrefour Market from to 700pm. One of the Key to Freedom volunteers, who participated said he was never asked for funds to assist in a worthy cause and he is not used to bowing when accepting donations from others, as is customary in Tzu Chi. He said after listening to the explanation from senior Tzu Chi volunteers that bowing is done as a show of gratitude to the person giving the donation, he felt grateful for the opportunity to collect on behalf of survivors in Africa. He let go of his pride, started to bow and at he felt joy and gained a peaceful mind, Tzu Chi said in a press release on Monday. Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung said she was grateful to students and volunteers for taking time out to share the worthwhile information to ASA kids and to help raise funds for a worthy cause in another part of the world and she thanked ASA for accommodating the team for the presentation.
