Dear Benefactors
It’s January and Nha Trang is still raining and flooding. The flood relief program push on from November to January and the association had to consider carefully before deciding to help the affected area. We must choose districts that were severely damaged and the number of delegates needed.
Khanh Hoa province flooded 6 times from October to January 2017. Due to continuous rain over many day and the hydro-power let out the floodgates, causing Khanh Hoa province to repeatedly be flooded and the people are at a standstill, especially those living in farming area. It’s close to the Lunar New Year, the association decided to give gifts so that the people have something to celebrate the New Year with.
Viêt Nam Buddhist Temple’s Tu Bi Foundation (300) and Vien Thong Pagoda (300) in Houston distributed 600 portion of gifts to 6 district: Diên Lạc, Diên Lâm, Diên Phước, Diên Hòa, Diên Thọ, Diên Lộc in Khanh Hoa province – Nha Trang. Each gift portion is worth $350,000 VND. Exception for victims with disabilities will receive gift portion worth $400,000 VND.
The rain made it even more difficult to hand out the gifts. Fortunately, the event was in the temple hall at Khanh Hoa, so people were able to wait for the rain to pass after receiving their gift portion.
We greatly appreciate our benefactors and wish you a Happy New Year fill with peace and happiness.
Sincerely,
Tu Bi Foundation
February 01, 2017
When I was born mother did not want me to be like everyone
And I was born not seeing anyone in the world
The love for me is more precious than anything
My eyes can not see my mother and father.
Who loves me like my parents in this life
Who loves me like my teachers have taught in those days
The love for me is longer than the longest river
My eyes can not see my teachers.
Oh! My eyes.
Why can’t my eyes see my parents
Cannot see my teachers
No light, only the dark night.
Who loves me like my parents in this life
Who loves me like my parents have care for me in those days
Their love for me is longer than the longest river
Right now my eyes can not see my friends.
(trying to be as accurate as possible, please forgive the English translation)
Dear Benefactors
Everyone have the right to live and have aspirations, but the lives of overseas Vietnamese living at the border lake in Cambodia are “hopeless”. Because they do not have documentation and they are not Vietnamese citizen. Tu Bi Foundation could only visit annually with New Year gifts. Beside that the “love and kindness” school built by the Tu Bi Foundation has been carried out very well, the students are progressing very fast.
On Jan 6, the TuBi group arrive with gifts for 20 families living in the rubber forest. We visited the classroom and found the students too pale. And the clothes of the students were very slippery. We decided to return bringing each student with new clothes to celebrate the new spring – Year of the Fire Rooster. Each child was given fresh milk and candy. Mothers were given new clothes and each family is given a headlamp so they can see way in through the rubber forest at night.
We were happy to see the children dance to new clothes, drink milk and eat candy … we also bought powdered milk for a premature baby, the 7 months looked 1 month old.
1. Pre-school in Tien Hoa commune = 2 electric rice cookers, 2 clean water filters
2. High school in Tien Hoa commune = 2 water purifiers
3. Elementary school in Tien Hoa commune – 2 water filters and 164 coats
4. Pre-school in Mai Hóa commune = 2 rice cookers and 2 clean water filters
5. High school in Mai Hóa commune = 2 clean water filters and 415 warm clothes
6. Medical Center in Châu Hóa commune = 1 clean water purifier
7. Community Center in Tien Hoa commune = 1 clean water purifier
8. Elementary school in Hải Thọ commune = 2 clean water purifier
Dear Benefactors;
Phú Mỡ is located 100 km far from Tuy Hòa city in the North West, Phú Mỡ highlands, Đồng Xuân district (Phú Yên) is separated from the delta, bordering Bình Định and Gia Lai. Due to its geographic location, Phú Mỡ has been named as “the highest, the farthest, the poorest, the hardest and the most heroic” of the province.
Phú Mỡ is still an extremely difficult commune, with poor, near poor households accounting for 75% to 80%. This is due to geographic conditions – it’s divided by many rivers and streams. The weather is very harsh, season of extended sunshine, even grass pasture is no more. During flood season, the whole commune was inundated, divided, and erode production land.
Finally, we were able to come to the people of Phú Mỡ, although roads were very difficult because of rain and flood. People waited to receive gifts from morning but our delegation didn’t reach Phú Mỡ till 5 pm. This was a difficult and dangerous trip.
On December 10th, the delegation tried to go to Phú Mỡ to give presents but because of rain, flood and 9km left the delegation had to return with the relief material. It is known that the people of Phú Mỡ have been isolated for a month. There are no charity groups to give gifts even though some delegations have tried, but have moved to another place because they can not go.
Heavy rain made traveling more difficult, on 25/12/2016 we decided to bring gifts to Phú Mỡ people because we did not want people to be disappointed and have to wait. The 100km drive took us 5 hours. As the mountain road was muddy and dangerous, the delegation had to take heavy trucks in to reach the people of Phú Mỡ. Tu Bi distributed 300 gifts for poor people and 306 shirts for students of Phú Mỡ primary school. As parents ourselves, w couln’t ignore when we see the students in this difficult situation.
A group of middle school students must swim the river twice a day just to get to school in recent days.
The incident happened at an ethnic minority school Đinh Núp in Phú Mỡ commune, Đồng Xuân district, Phú Yên province. Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) Newspaper posted some pictures taken by teacher Đặng Ngọc Thành of Đinh Núp school on Tuesday afternoon, September 20 after school. The ethnic minority pupils in Phú Lợi village swim by themselves, or cling to “floats”, which are hollow plastic containers, or carried on their back by the father on a river about 15 meters wide.
January 12, 2017
1. Rice seedling for maize, beans for 154 agricultural households 250,000d / 1 household in the rural farming village in Quảng Bình.
2. Renovation of the school and classrooms. In order to save money, Tu Bi volunteers join in with the workers to remodel the ceiling in 2 of the classroom. We saved 10 million ($500 U.S.)
On December 24, 2016: Buddhist monks and nuns from Bình Định Province, representatives of the Tu Bi Foundation, presented 600 gifts to flood-affected farmers who damaged the rice fields. Total expenditure $6000 U.S.
1. Hoài Ân district, Ân Mỹ and Ân Tín communes. Ân Hào Đông commune, 100 gifts at Binh Son Temple – Venerable Quảng Nhuận.
2. Tuy Phước – Phước Hòa: 150 gifts at Kim Thanh Temple – Bhikkhunī Đồng Phụng. 150 gifts at Luật Bình Temple, Venerable Thích Hữu Thông.
Dear Benefactors,
This is Tu Bi Foundation’s 11th bridge. it was built in the remote area in Cà Mau, U Minh district, Đầm Dơi …
It met the association requirement that it is to be built close to a school to protect the lives of students who have been crossing the river by boat, through monkey bridges, or floating raft that use a rope to pull to the other side.
donate nearly 500 gifts to patients
PRINCIPAL
November 26: Quang Binh
- Cảnh Hóa Elementary School: textbooks, clean water filters
- Châu Hóa Elementary School: 215 winter shirts, 215 exercise pants, notebooks, 2 water filters
- Châu Hóa High School: 310 windbreakers, 310 exercise pants, books, 2 water filters
- Three community area in Châu Hóa: 3 water filters, 3 rice cookers:
Give 200 gifts to help flood victims and farming families. Buy seeds for rice, corn, peanuts for two villages of Uyên Phong and Lạc Sơn. - Provide 1 fresh water filter and 1 rice cooker to Mai Hoa Kindergarten
Gifts for Grade 1 and 2 students, Quang Binh Nov 26, 2016
TBF distributed 5250 books for school, 525 coats and exercise uniforms for students for elementary school students Grade 1 and 2 at Chau Hoa.
Tu Bi Foundation
October 06, 2016
Tu Bi Foundation – Vietnam Buddhist Center, Sugar Land, Texas.
George Bell
Capital Area United Way
700 Laurel Street Baton Rouge, LA 70821
RE: Donation to the Louisiana Flood Victims
Tu Bi Foundation is a non-profit organization, established in 1993 by the Abbot of the Vietnam Buddhist Center (VNBC) in Houston, Texas. The Vietnamese word, “Tu Bi” was chosen because it represents compassion and loving-kindness. Our key mission is to raise money, primarily within our Vietnamese-American Buddhists community at large here throughout the U.S., to provide financial assistance to places worldwide affected by natural disasters.
The Vietnamese-American Buddhists here in the U.S. strongly and deeply felt the pain and suffering of our fellow Americans who were directly affected by the unprecedented flooding in southern Louisiana in August as many of us who before lived in Vietnam had gone through and experienced similar devastation. Thus, on behalf of the Vietnamese Buddhists community at large, Tu Bi Foundation would like to donate $28,604.00 (twenty eight thousands, six hundred, four dollars) to help the families, schools are still in needs of recovering their losses, particularly costly properties that they once owned and depended on for their daily life. We realize that many have lost significant amount of properties, and they are still struggling to get their lives back to normal. Thus, we are reaching out to our fellow Americans in Louisiana, and let them know that we stand together with them through difficult, challenging times.
Based on our conversations with Ms. Sarah H. Berthelot / President and CEO, Louisiana Association of United Ways, we would like to donate $14,302.00 to each of the two schools were badly damage by the flood. Ms. Sarah indicated: How can we partner? Based on our conversations, LAUW can work with the Capital Area United Way to make contact with schools who are in need of resources for restoration. We can work with local schools to discern how to best use donations –based on their specific challenges. For example: if your donation could provide $14,000 to 2 school sites, LAUW and CAUW would work to identify the needs of the schools, ensure the school follows through and then report the results back to you. We would stay in touch so your organization can be informed of the progress made with your donation.
We are grateful for your commitment to help Tu Bi Foundation to carry out the flood relief in Louisiana. On behalf of the Vietnamese American Buddhists community, Tu Bi Foundation would like to send our solemn prayer to all households in southern Louisiana for a speedy recovery.
Please con tact us at tubifoundation@gmail.com if you have any other questions. Rev. Thich Nguyen Dat, Vice President of Vietnam Buddhist Center in Sugar Land, Texas and Rev. Thich Dao Quang, abbot of Tam Bao Temple in Baton Rouge, LA will represent Tu Bi Foundation joining LAUW to deliver the checks to local school, please contact Rev. Dao Quang at 678-357-9877.
Sincerely yours,
Tu Bi Foundation
Wikipedia – 2016 Louisiana floods
Nepal Education Relief in August 2016, second visit to schools in Nepal
June 24, 2016
Nepal Earth Quake, 2015
Even though a little over one year has passed since the deadly earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, many schools in remote, mountainous areas are still not completely rebuilt. Due to lack of funding, some schools still do not have the proper, required infrastructure to provide a safe learning environment for the students.
One such school is Namuna Evergreen English Boarding School, located in the remote, mountainous area of Nepal near the Tibetan border. Access to this school from the capital of Kathmandu is extremely difficult, challenging and dangerous as many parts of the roads are badly or completely damaged by the earthquake along with many landslides and floods due to heavy rainfalls. This school has nine classrooms and has around 200 students. Sadly, all classrooms don’t have doors and at least one to three windows are broken. Without doors and windows, there is no protection from the cold air or strong wind. On any given day with bad weather, particularly on many rainy days and cold days in the winter, students have to endure sitting in the classroom feeling cold. This adversely affects the students’ physical and psychological well-beings and their ability to stay focused and do all the writing in class. Moreover, the surrounding fence of the school where the playground is located is half damaged and was still not repaired since the earthquake. This fence is critical and extremely necessary as it provides protection and safety to the students. Without it, students can seriously and fatally injured if they fall down as the school is located on the slope of the mountain.
The school was extremely thankful to Tu Bi Foundation. Now there are proper windows and doors in all classrooms, as well as a durable metal fence surrounding the back of the school overlooking the mountain slope. This is like a dream comes true to the school and to all the students. The foundation has played a major role in helping the school’s reconstruction. For the coming winter, students will not be terribly affected by the cold air. Overall, the learning and safety environments of the school have improved significantly with the support of Tu Bi Foundation. Students are definitely benefiting from this as they now feel the school is so much safer and more comfortable, and they are more eager to come to school as their classrooms now have doors and glass windows that can be opened and closed.
Essential stationery items were also provided to all students of this school as well as a large public school (400 students) in this same mountainous town. Pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, crayons, color pencils, and plastic folders were given to these students. Some footballs and small balls were also given to the schools so that students can have something to play with during recess.
Attached are pictures taken at the school, before and after the construction of the fence, doors and windows. Since this reconstruction is taking place during school time and that school is in session, it takes about two more weeks for the school to finish all the windows and doors. The school will provide more updated pictures once everything is complete.
Sincerely yours,
Jason Tran
Due to the remote, isolated mountainous area, it took much more time and resources to get the school supplies and materials for the school’s reconstruction. Materials in this remote area are limited. Road conditions from Kathmandu to remote area of these schools were extremely bad, damaged, and challenging (see attached pictures). Landslides are common due to heavy rainfalls. Driving to this area was very dangerous, exhausting, and painstakingly slow.
Expenditure for the Schools
1. School supplies for 600 students $1,050
2. Sport supplies for two schools (footballs, softballs, pumps) $ 50
3. Doors for nine classrooms (including painting and installation) $1,215
4. Windows for nine classrooms (including frames, glass, installation) $ 585
5. Metal fence for playground $ 600
TOTAL $3,500
Love & Kindness Students from Bình Dương field trip to Suối Tiên 2016.06.13
http://suoitien.com/en/