Report
from Iran
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by the Singapore
News Group (originally in English)
On December 26, 2003 a pre-dawn earthquake
rocked the city of Bam in Iran¡¦s southeastern Kerman
Province, resulting in extensive destruction, numerous casualties
and thousands of homeless victims. So the merciful Supreme Master
Ching Hai immediately instructed that an emergency aid effort be
conducted in the region. So on January 1, 2004, a relief team comprised
of initiates from Singapore and Iran arrived in Tehran to organize
the distribution of needed supplies.
To ensure that the work proceeded smoothly, the
team was divided into three groups; one remained in Tehran and the
other two went to Kerman. Then, from the Kerman airport, one of
the teams proceeded by car to Bam.
Upon their arrival in Bam, the team members immediately
went about assessing the situation in the quake-stricken area, but
even with maps in hand, moving around was difficult because the
tremor had flattened most of the city¡¦s predominantly
mud-brick buildings. A piece of equipment featuring Global Positioning
System (GPS) technology came in handy as it expedited the job of
navigating and charting the regions where the distribution was to
occur.
The relief workers learned that Bam had been divided
into several zones, each under different management, giving them
a clearer picture of the situation, and enabling them to better
identify and assess the areas where people were in greatest need
of Master¡¦s comfort and aid.
Next the team traveled to various locations to visit
survivors living in tents, many of whom had not only lost their
homes, but also their immediate family members and other relatives.
With the help of an
Iranian sister, the initiates spoke with the victims
and enquired about their most urgent needs. These visits yielded
a list of over a dozen commonly requested relief provisions such
as personal hygiene items, undergarments, slippers, toys and ultra
heat-treated milk.
Upon receiving the list, team members in Kerman
quickly went about acquiring the items. In fact, the initiates had
already been busy with relief work since their arrival in the city,
approaching shop owners in bazaars and neighborhoods to determine
whether aid materials were available in large quantities, and enquiring
about renting trucks with which to transport the supplies to Bam.
Team members from Tehran went to Kerman to help
with the buying and packing of the relief items, and soon all the
necessary supplies were obtained in local shops. The shop owners,
knowing that the goods would be distributed to their countrymen
in Bam, were tremendously helpful. For example, one owner who had
sold slippers to the relief team offered his warehouse as a place
to store the supplies. Though the place was relatively small, the
workers managed to create space to store the provisions and pack
everything into gift packages on the night of January 7, 2004. Financial
aid placed in envelopes was also included in each package.
On the following afternoon, two trucks were loaded
with the supplies amidst a light drizzle, which local residents
rejoiced at considering no rain had fallen in the area for some
time. While transporting the goods to Bam, the relief team experienced
a heavy downpour, which stopped upon their arrival in the city.
The aid packages were then unloaded into an apartment belonging
to an Iranian sister¡¦s family friend.
The apartment had an open courtyard where team members
prepared more gift packs for distribution. Fortunately, the apartment
was also in a special economic zone protected by security guards.
The relief team is grateful to Master for this caring arrangement.
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