As a safety precaution, the relief packages were distributed under the cover of darkness, and on the first night the work went smoothly as both personnel and gift packets were transported to the distribution area by truck. The vehicle was parked outside the distribution zone and taxis were used to transport personnel and gift packets. Then at various points, team members went on foot to deliver Master¡¦s love and presents to the quake victims.

Gift items for the Behzisty orphanage children.

Police escorts were present at some of the distribution points; so while the aid packages were handed out, the truck was parked near a police post for safety reasons. Upon observing this situation, the police offered to load their sport utility vehicle with packages and even helped with distribution. In addition, the taxi drivers whom we had hired also lent a hand.

On the second night, the distribution was also carried out efficiently, with more gift packages reaching those in need. During the relief team¡¦s rounds, some recipients rushed out of their tents to thank the workers and God. A few mentioned that The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association was the only foreign group whose members had personally delivered locally purchased items to the area. Other people slept soundly in their tents, unaware that the team had placed gifts from Master at the entrances.

While in Bam, the aid workers were led by a local resident to a regional education office where they learned that the city¡¦s children required stationery materials for their school lessons. So the team later delivered a complete set of the needed items to the youngsters.

At 5:00 AM on January 11, the workers successfully completed their efforts in Bam, with approximately 3,250 aid packages having been distributed over three nights. During the team¡¦s stay in the city, many aftershocks were felt, with the largest serving as a wake-up call for the initiates that morning, and afterwards they headed back to Kerman.

After arriving in Kerman, the team visited the offices of Bahonar Hospital and Behzisty, a local welfare organization. Previously, Behzisty¡¦s orphanages had housed many of the Bam earthquake victims¡¦ children, but most were gradually reclaimed by their parents or relatives. However, the initiates noted that nineteen children from Bam below the age of three were still living in one orphanage. So they purchased mattresses, blankets, pillows, pillow cases, toys, milk powder, stationery supplies and several other items and delivered them to the facility.

In addition, Bahonar Hospital, situated near the orphanage, contained forty-six patients from Bam. The relief team was given information about these patients as well as a list of items that would be useful to them once they were discharged from the Hospital. The initiates then bought these supplies and visited the hospital to comfort the victims and deliver their loving gifts from Master. Once again, envelopes containing gift money were included in the packages.

When the relief team members arrived back in Tehran, they learned through the help of the Raad Rehabilitation Goodwill Complex (RRGC), a private social service organization, that wheelchairs with toilet seats were urgently needed by Bam quake victims in Kerman. Thus 72 units were purchased and sent to RRGC for delivery to the city.

During their stay in Iran, the relief team experienced little fatigue but plenty of blessing from Master. Happiness was seen beaming from the faces of the earthquake survivors who received Master¡¦s love, and many were touched that people from other countries had shown sincere concern for them, deeply appreciating The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association¡¦s presence and compassionate work in their time of need.

 

Expenditures for Bam Earthquake Relief  by The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Description	Expenditure (in Iranian Rials)	Receipt #
Relief items for survivors	381,286,160	B1
Stationery items for students	23,705,500	B2
Behzisty Orphanage gift items	27,350,000	B3
Bahonar Hospital gift items	21,967,000	B4
Wheelchairs with toilet seats for RRGC	117,725,904	B5
Transportation	7,520,000	B6
Total                                                         579,554,564 Rials                                                                (approx. US$70,000)