Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news from Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Since early June, thousands of people in the neighboring countries were forced from their homes due to heavy rains and landslides. At least 23 people lost their lives in Haiti, where many families are now sharing tents as some became too worn since the January 2010 quake. At least one person in Dominican Republic perished.

Sending all her love and prayers, Supreme Master Ching Hai donated US$8,000 for the Dominican Republic and US$10,000 for Haiti, and asked our Association members to please help the most vulnerable. With further contributions of about US$9,900 from our Association’s US and Canadian centers, the total US$27,900 in aid could acquire an estimated US$270,000 in emergency supplies bought in the United States, based on the two countries' overall cost of living.

Our Association’s relief teams from the US and Costa Rica first met in Dominican Republic as soon as they could, covering their own travel and accommodation expenses of nearly US$4,300.

In Santo Domingo, then Santiago, the relief team met with senior officials from the Office of Civil Defense, with whom they had collaborated in work on previous disasters.

With the help of this agency’s volunteers, 800 low-income families in eight communities soon received emergency food packages to address their needs. The supplies included rice, beans, sugar, salt, corn flour, oil, pasta, tomato sauce and cookies.

Many parents expressed their joy and gratitude for Supreme Master Ching Hai's care, saying that now they had some food to give their children. Accompanied by Civil Defense personnel, our Association’s relief team then travelled to Haiti's capital city, Port-au-Prince.

There, the Evangelical Organization for Integral Development of Haiti helped distribute tickets to families throughout the capital’s most affected communities so that they could receive food packages securely.

For the many who were still without employment, these supplies were an answer to their prayers, and they lovingly called Supreme Master Ching Hai God’s special messenger.

With our grateful appreciation, Dominican Republic Civil Defense personnel and volunteers, we also join in thanking Supreme Master Ching Hai for her caring assistance, and our Association’s relief team for their diligent efforts.

May the storm-stricken people of Dominican Republic and Haiti steadily recover their regular lives, as we strive to ease such disasters through our greater benevolence toward all beings on the planet.