The Supreme Master Ching Hai
By Malaysia Relief Teams (Originally in Malaysian)
Starting in mid-December 2014, continuous heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the east coast of Malaysia. By the end of the month, 21 people had lost their lives and over 200,000 had been displaced. Deeply concerned about the situation, Supreme Master Ching Hai asked our Malaysian Association members to carry out a relief effort, providing US$5,000 each to our Kuala Lumpur and Penang Centers.
As the Kelantan State had suffered the worst damage and had 26,000 evacuees, our Penang Center relief team purchased a large supply of daily necessities including food, diapers, cooking utensils, blankets, mats etc. and on January 4, 2015, drove several hours to a relief center in Gua Ipoh, Tanah Merah in Kelantan to deliver the items. In addition, our Association members contributed a total of MYR 500 to the relief center and shared copies of Master’s The Key of Immediate Enlightenment Sample Booklet. All the relief items were distributed to the affected people the next day, and the recipients were deeply touched by Master’s love and kind contribution during their difficult time.
On December 30, our relief team from the Kuala Lumpur Center headed to the Temerloh District of Pahang State in a truck loaded with drinking water, soy milk, vegan biscuits, bread and sarongs. We delivered some of the supplies to Tualang Village, which had been turned into an island by the floodwaters. Since the villagers had had no electricity and tap water for three days, the officials there were deeply appreciative of Master’s kind gesture. Their relief center cared for 726 families whose wooden houses had been submerged.
The next day, our Kuala Lampur team traveled by boat to a village in Mentakab in the Temerloh District. The village leader expressed his thanks and instructed his people to use a tractor to transport the aid, which was accepted by happy children and adults. Many local people also showed great interest in the The Key of Immediate Enlightenment Sample Booklets and flyers on veganism that we distributed. Then, another load of relief items was given to 30 households in the vicinity. Later in the afternoon, while waiting for a ferryboat, our team shared more supplies and flyers with the local residents, including a newspaper reporter who took pictures of the activity.
On January 1, 2015, our Kuala Lampur team brought the remaining supplies to four schools, accompanied by a local volunteer truck driver. The schools had been converted into relief centers and the displaced people felt blessed in being cared for. One lady was especially grateful to have received a shawl and sarong, saying that she only had the clothes she was wearing as the floodwaters had come so swiftly she was lucky to escape. Looking back, our team realized that our truck driver had been sent by God because his knowledge of the affected areas and numerous contacts made the relief operation go smoothly.
On January 21, our Malaysian Association members contributed MYR 5,000 to Pertubuhan Solidarity Hijau Kuantan (Solidarity Green Kuantan Organization), a non-governmental group that was working to rescue the most desperate people in remote villages. We pray that with God’s grace all those affected by the flooding are soon able to resume their normal lives.
Expenditures by Supreme Master Ching Hai and Her International Association for Flood Relief Work in Malaysia
| Description | Amount (MYR) | Receipt |
|---|---|---|
| Food (rice, sugar, cooking oil, biscuits, baked beans, instant noodles, soy milk, bread, water and soy drinks) | 24,203.02 | A |
| Supplies (diapers, electric rice cooker, electric kettles, gas stove, towels, pans, mats, blankets, sarongs, clothing, school supplies and flashlights) | 9,315.25 | B |
| Cash contribution to the Kelantan relief center and Pertubuhan Solidarity Hijau Kuantan | 5,500.00 | C |
| Transportation | 4,842.00 | D |
| Total | MYR 43,860.27 (US$12,534) |
Relief Work in Kelantan State
Relief Work in Pahang State