Products Designed Out of a Compassionate Heart Spread Humanistic Aid and Love to the World

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CAPTION: The 2014 Tzu Chi International Humanistic Aid Association’s (TIHAA) gathering took place in Haulien from 4/18 to 4/20. Experts from different industries including food, clothing, shelter, transportation, information technology, and communication gathered together to discuss how green technology can or has been applied to disaster relief. (Photo by: Sandy Huang)Facing the rapid climate change, Dharma Master Cheng Yen keeps on reminding everyone that we need to speed up our action to save the world, because we are running out of time. We can’t restore disasters that have already happened, but facing the more severe ones to come, we need to know how to respond. For this very reason, Dharma Master Cheng Yen decided to establish the Tzu Chi International Humanistic Aid Association (TIHAA), dedicated in researching and developing disaster relief related product in fields such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, information technology, and communication, and be able to provide disaster victims with daily necessities as quickly and conveniently as possible.

CAPTION: Walter Huang, the main convener of the camp as well as one of the founders of DA.AI Technology, shared with everyone the prospect of TIHAA to kick off the bi-annual gathering. (Photo by: Sandy Huang)Where there is disaster, there shall be Tzu Chi volunteers entering the scene to comfort the victims. To pass on the past rich experience, TIHAA hosts a camp once every two year to discuss and share the background ideology of the association, and update on the newest information and design. This year, over 2,000 volunteer gathered together in Hualien from 4/18 to 4/20 to attend this humanistic meeting.

Walter Huang, the main convener of the camp as well as one of the founders of DA.AI Technology, shared with everyone the prospect of TIHAA to kick off the bi-annual gathering, followed by James Lee, also one of the founders of DA.AI, talking about DA.AI’s mission and direction. The Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration Vice-Director Yeh also came to the camp and shared with everyone facts on global warming. Taiwan’s carbon emission only takes up about 1% of the world in total, but each one of us emits nearly 12 tons of carbon per year, which is 2.45 times the global average. Thus, Taiwanese should take up part of the responsibility to lower carbon emission and protect the world from the harm of global warming. Finally, Dr. Lee Wei Sen shared ways that technology has been applied to disaster relief work, and suggested that we need to start thinking about how to prevent and reduce disaster before it happens.

Tzu Chi’s Haiyan typhoon international relief team also shared their experience in the Philippines. While the UN described the city of Tacloban as abandoned city, Tzu Chi volunteers revived the city through the method of “Cash for Work,” and helped the residents to rebuild their homeland. With rich experience in international relief, Tzu Chi developed many products based on the need of the disaster victims and/or the volunteers out in the field. DA.AI’s magical white pants, anti-punctual white shoes, Solar Power LED Backpack and Hat are all part of the Compassion Series, and as the name suggested, are designed based on a compassionate heart to comfort the ones in need.

The bi-annual TIHAA gathering concludes with the ex-minister of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Tsai Dui, sharing with everyone on the topic of “time, space, and people,” and that every one of us should consider how to efficiently utilize the time we have in this world to contribute as much as possible to society and the environment. Hope with everyone’s help, Dharma Master Cheng Yen’s call for “living a simple life, lowering our desire and consumption” will eventually became the main stream life style, and that the world will become a greener place.

DA.AI Reporter, San Ming Yu, Hualien

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