DDM Provides Relief Aid to the Remote, Disaster-Stricken Areas in Nepal and Supports Orphans in Schooling
In the wake of the devastating earthquake and incessant aftershocks that have hit Nepal, an ancient Buddhist land, in April, the country’s remote areas, so far still isolated due to broken roads, are now in urgent need of humanitarian relief aid. While responding to their tragedy by expressing the care and concern from people in Taiwan, as well as providing immediate aid through donations and other resources, DDM is also concerned for the affected people’s needs in remote stricken towns and villages. Meanwhile, in response to a letter from Mahavaipulya Buddhist Association in Taiwan (臺灣大方廣佛學講修學會, MBAT), DDM promised to offer financial support to reconstruct “Ngagyur Memorial School,” located in a suburban area of Kathmandu, for the orphans from Nubri, a mountainous area in Nepal.
Dharma Drum Mountain Social Welfare and Charity Foundation (DDMSWCF) said, “As some 400 little lamas and newly enrolled pupils from Nubri have become homeless due to the disaster, Khenpo Tashi Tsering Rinpoche, abbot of a local monastery (Palyul Branch) in the Tibetan Buddhist Nyingma tradition, hopes to transfer these schoolboys in need of care from adults to Ngagyur Memorial School. But right now the school needs rebuilding, including the buying of new equipment and the funding of beds and bedding for the dormitory, amounting to a total of 2.64 million NT Dollars.”
Adhering to DDM founder Master Sheng Yen’s idea of “Four Fields for Cultivating Peace: Mind, Body, Family, Activity” as the fundamental principle in providing disaster relief aid, especially for infrastructure and school facilities, DDMSWCF said, “DDM will offer full financial aid to the Ngagyur Memorial School for the rebuilding and reconstruction, in the hope that in this joint effort with MBAT we can effectively help orphans still struggling in makeshift tents return to normal life and enable them back to school soon.”