During their stay in Taiwan meeting with Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund, the US-based Food For the Poor’s Vice President of International Funding Jose Serra and Vice President of International Goods in Kind Jorge Benitez traveled to the Headquarters of Tzu Chi Foundation on March 18, 2009. They visited Hualien Jing Si Hall and Jing Si Abode, and met with Master Cheng Yen. Picture:FFP’s Vice President of International Funding Jose Serra (second left) and Vice President of International Goods in Kind Jorge Benitez (third left) visit Hualien Jing Si Hall.

FFP Vice President of International Funding Jose Serra (left) holds baby shoes, and learns the story that once upon a time, when people were short of materials, the nuns who lived in Tzu Chi Abode had to sew one extra pair of baby shoes in order to earn the fund to save the poor.

FFP Vice President of International Funding Jose Serra takes a photo with the “through relieving the poor, the rich is educated; through educating the rich, the poor is relieved” poster board in Jing Si Hall, hoping to put this photo in his office and share with his colleagues.

The FFP officers and Tzu Chi staff have a discussion at the Abode.

The first stop for the FFP representatives was Hualien Jing Si Hall. Tzu Chi Foundation Director of Religion Office Xie Jing-Gui led his colleagues to welcome the visitors and introduced the origin and spirit of Tzu Chi as well as its works in the areas of Charity, Medicine, Education, and Humanity (also known as The Four Missions). In the afternoon, the FFP representatives visited the Jing Si Abode for an exchange of ideas and experiences on international missions.

Founded in 1982, FFP is one of the largest international charity organizations in the United States. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy in 2008, FFP has an outstanding reputation with its services in taking care impoverished people throughout 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. FFP’s goals are to improve the health, economic and social conditions of the people they serve.  

FFP became acquainted with Tzu Chi while the Tzu Chi’s emergency relief team was carrying out a mission in Haiti last year following the country’s continuous rainstorm disasters. According to FFP’s Vice President of International Funding Jose Serra, the Caribbean country is “one of the neediest countries in the world now”.

Besides Haiti, FFP and Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF)  have worked together to form aid programs in Nicaragua, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Honduras.

The ICDF recently invited Food For The Poor to visit Taiwan to discuss their subsequent cooperation in Haiti.

Knowing that Tzu Chi’s headquarters is right on the island country, the FFP representatives especially visited the Foundation during their stay in Taiwan.

Mr. Serra expressed that he felt “very peaceful at Tzu Chi”. "I did not realize how wonderful and how big the volunteer base that you have, you are so well organized, so well efficient, and the belief that your Master has taught, the teachings, is absolutely wonderful. To me it's been an honor to be here today." Mr. Serra said.

His partner, Vice President of International Goods in Kind, Jorge Benitez, added, "We (Tzu Chi and FFP) are very close in a lot of the areas. We're trying to focus on ways to help the poor, therefore it would be good to see how we can help each other, and partner together, because we have the same vision, the same kind of goal."

While calling on Master Cheng Yen, the Food For The Poor representatives thanked Tzu Chi for its cooperation in Haiti, expressed the desire to learn more about Tzu Chi's overseas experience, and looked forward to the opportunity of working together in the future.