Nicaragua

On June 2, 2009, a week after the recent flood in Nicaragua, a relief team formed by our Association members in Costa Rica went to the local Red Cross in Managua to gather information about the affected families that might need help. They were pleased to find out that there were no victims from this flood. However, they were told that a community of 236 families (about 1,000 adults and 500 children), who were displaced from their Manchester neighborhood due to Lake Nicaragua’s flood in November 2008, were in urgent need of assistance. Colonel Rafael Ramirez from the National System for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention of Disasters (SINAPRED) informed them that these families are now staying in the city of Tipitapa, 35km away from Managua. During their visit to this city, the relief team observed that all the families were living in very simple corrugated metal and cardboard structures that had no electricity or water. The water truck came every two or three days, and each family would fill up their own water barrel. Moreover, the heads of most households were unemployed, so they were in desperate need of food.

With Master’s loving contribution of US$12,000, the relief team purchased 130 latrines and 278 plastic pipes to carry water from the newly built well to their small dwellings. Each family received a bucket, gas lantern and a large amount of food including rice, flour, beans, oil, and some fruit and vegetable seeds which they could plant around their shelters to be more self-sufficient. The people rejoiced when they received these wonderful gifts. They sang spiritual songs and poems under the moonlight and some of them said that they were the happy poor! They sent Master their best wishes and profound gratitude for what they received. A girl wanted to send Master a nicely painted stone in the shape of a foot, which was her only possession. People understood Master’s spiritual teachings and wanted to keep our Association’s banners to display in the community.

The relief team also took the opportunity to spread the global warming message and its solutions in Managua. Apart from distributing 10,000 SOS flyers, they gave a presentation titled “Let’s Stop Global Warming Together” to approximately 80 students and professors at the University of Nicaragua (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Nicaragua). They were invited to address a larger audience next month as well as provide vegetarian food as incentive for people to change to this compassionate lifestyle. This university is also looking to install satellite dishes on their campus and in other national public universities to access Supreme Master TV. The director of the Environmental Department at the University of Central America (Universidad Centroamericana) plans to work with our Association on future global warming projects. The local Red Cross also invited the initiates to give three climate change workshops in July and to teach vegetarian cooking to their staff and leaders of 16 communities.

The relief team was very impressed by the purity of the local citizens and their openness to change. With more people quickly joining the compassionate vegan circle, our planet can really be saved!

Expenditure by Supreme Master Ching Hai
for the Flood Relief Work in Nicaragua

* Throughout the relief operation, fellow initiates paid for their own transportation, food and accommodation expenses.

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