FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 15, 2010

HELP HAITI WITH LOVE!

Tzu Chi’s relief and medical team is on Standby. At least

35 tons of instant rice, 30 tons of corn meal and other
relief supply are ready to be deployed. Nationwide
Fundraising is launched.

(San Dimas, CA) Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center was established
immediately after the earthquake struck Haiti. The Coordination Center has
identified three areas of focus for Tzu Chi’s immediate relief work in Haiti: 1) Relief
aid distribution; 2) Medical assistance; 3) Global fundraising efforts. Tzu Chi’s relief
team, including volunteers and doctors from the US and the Dominican Republic,
are on standby along with large quantities of relief goods and medical supplies.

As of January 14, Tzu Chi global headquarters and Tzu Chi USA headquarters have
prepared at least 350,000 packs of instant rice, 500,000 packs of corn powder,
20,000 eco-friendly blankets, 50,000 sets of eco-friendly utensils, as well as used
clothing, medical kits, vitamins, ointments and other medical supplies. These relief
goods are ready to be shipped and delivered as soon as a proper transportation
route is being established. More relief goods are being prepared while the relief
team is on standby.

There is a need of food, blankets, and medical aid in Haiti. Tzu Chi International
Humanitarian Aid Association (TIHAA) previously developed instant rice for use
during relief operations. Each pack of instant rice is ready to be served 40 minutes
after pouring in cold water, or 20 minutes after pouring in hot water. In addition,
corn powder can be mixed with either cold or hot water for use as a meal. TIHAA
has also previously developed eco-friendly blankets, each made up of 70 recycled
PET bottles (recycled by Tzu Chi recycling volunteers), which can help the survivors
in Haiti since many survivors are sleeping on the streets. Tzu Chi International
Medical Association (TIMA) has doctors and medical personnel, along with vitamins,
ointments and other medical supplies, on standby, ready to enter in Haiti when
possible.

As of January 14, there are no heavy machineries at the airport to lift goods or
passable roads to transport goods into the city. With the prisoners in Port-au-
Prince escaped out of the prison, and millions of survivors homeless and bodies all
over the city, the situation in Haiti is not safe. Therefore, Master Cheng Yen, the
founder of Tzu Chi Foundation, advised the Tzu Chi Emergency Coordination Center
to focus on centralizing its efforts and paving a path for the upcoming relief work in
the mean time. Master Cheng Yen also calls on everyone to “nurture our
compassion in times of suffering, and challenge our wisdom in times of change.”

Tzu Chi global headquarters has initiated a global fundraising campaign to deliver
the love from people around the globe to the survivors in Haiti. To kick off the
global fundraising campaign, on January 16, 17, 23 and 24, Tzu Chi volunteers in
the US will be holding fundraisers throughout the nation. Depending on the
weather in each city, the location of fundraisers may vary. Please contact your
local Tzu Chi office for more information.

Please continue to deliver your kind thoughts or pray for the people in Haiti and
invite your families and friends to do the same. Tzu Chi will help to deliver your
love directly to the hands of the survivors in Haiti. Your donation of any amount
will go a long way to help the suffering people in Haiti; every cent of donation will
go directly to the survivors in Haiti. Together, let us help Haiti with love!

To make a donation, please visit www.us.tzuchi.org , or call 1-888-989-

8244 , or send your check to 1100 S. Valley Center Ave., San Dimas, CA
91773. (Your donation is tax deductible in the USA!)

For more information, please visit www.us.tzuchi.org or send an email to

info@us.tzuchi.org

About Tzu Chi

Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 by Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen in
Hualien. In over 40 years, Tzu Chi has grown to be an international humanitarian
organization with over 5 million members in 47 countries, and has provided relief in 69
countries. The Foundation dedicates itself in the fields of charity, medicine, education,
environmental protection, international relief work and the establishment of the world’s
third largest marrow donor registry. It also promotes humanistic values and community
volunteerism.

In 1989, Tzu Chi Foundation in the U.S. was established in California as a non-profit 501(c)
(3) charitable organization. Since then, 62 local offices have been established with over
100,000 members in the U.S. working to make a difference in their local communities.

Tzu Chi has previously provided aid to Haiti in 1999, 2004 and 2009. In January 2009, Tzu
Chi relief team traveled to Haiti to provide relief after the country was struck by numerous
hurricanes in 2008. Tzu Chi volunteers from the US, Dominican Republic and St. Martin
provided supplies such as rice, corn powder, cooking oil, sugar, salt, instant noodles, tarp,
eco-friendly blankets, buckets (for food storage purpose), vitamins, dental kits and a set of
portable dental equipment, benefiting 3,343 households in poverty areas in Port-au-Prince
and Cite Soleil. There were also long-term plans for other charitable and medical
assistance.
 Pictures Below are From Tzu Chi’s Relief Work in Haiti in January
2009 (in Port-au-Prince and Cite Soleil)

Picture (Left): Poor people in Haiti has limited food.

Picture (Right): People in Haiti lining up to buy gas, since resources are limited in Haiti.

Picture (Left): A local volunteer helps to pack the buckets with Tzu Chi logo a day before
transporting to distribute site.
Picture (Right): Innocent and cute children in Haiti – wonder if they are still there after the
earthquake?

Picture (Left): UN peacekeepers in Haiti travel to the distribution sites with Tzu Chi
volunteers in order to protect the volunteers.

Picture (Right): Tzu Chi volunteers with the children in a local school.

Picture (Left): A Tzu Chi volunteer leads a local student to help protect the environment by
doing recycling work.

Picture (Right): A Tzu Chi International Medical Association dentist teaches local children
how to clean their teeth properly.
Picture (Left): At one of the distribution sites.

Picture (Right): During the distribution, Tzu Chi volunteers lead the local villagers to pray
for themselves, for their family & friends, and for a peaceful world.

Picture (Left): Tzu Chi volunteers distribute eco-friendly blankets to an aid recipient. Tzu
Chi volunteers distribute blankets to the recipients with their utmost respect and gratitude.
This is in adherence to Tzu Chi’s international relief principles (directness, priority, respect,
timeliness, practicality and gratitude).
Picture (Right): Tzu Chi volunteers give the relief goods to a villager, and helping to put the
relief goods on top of her head (it is customary for local women to carry buckets on their
head).