Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news update from Colombia.
Since late December 2009 and January, non-stop rains caused several rivers to flood in Antioquia, northwestern Colombia. According to local officials, more than 9,000 families lost their possessions and livelihoods in the region of Turbo municipality.

Secretary for Planning and coordinator of CLOPAD in Turbo-Antioquia - Sr.  Digno Martínez (In Spanish) Digno Martinez Figueroa – Secretary of Disaster Management, Turbo (M): The communities affected included 13 urban area towns and 21 rural villages, for approximately 47,431 total people.

Interviews in Turbo-Antioquia Relief recipient (F): The water came so massively that it swept about 8 houses, leaving people almost completely in the street.

VOICE: Supreme Master Ching Hai had quickly requested that our nearby Association members go to assist and comfort the afflicted, expressing her deep condolences and prayers as she also offered US$10,000 donation in emergency aid, an amount that could obtain US$50,000 in materials obtained in the United States, based on Colombia’s cost of living.

On January 8, our Association’s relief teams from Colombia and Costa Rica traveled to Turbo, where they worked with local officials to deliver basic food items to 15 towns, including rice, beans, sugar, salt, oil and flour.

Many families had been subsisting only on bananas since the floods, and were grateful for the timely aid from Supreme Master Ching Hai.

interviews in Turbo-Antioquia Relief recipient (F): She is always mindful of us, and I thank God for her, and may God bless her wherever she is.

Relief recipient (M): We wish to express the most pleasing thanks to you with all my heart.

VOICE: During the mission, our Association’s relief team also distributed to receptive residents the SOS flyers on global warming and their highlight of the vegan diet solution.

Digno Martinez Figueroa (M): I want to especially give thanks to the Master on behalf of the entire population of the municipality of Turbo.

Young relief recipients: Thank you Master!

VOICE: Our appreciation local government officials for your efforts to help the flood-affected people. We join in thanking Supreme Master Ching Hai for her loving assistance, and our Association’s relief team for their caring efforts.

Our prayers that such extreme events cease through humanity’s greater consideration of the ecosphere.