The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation once again lived up to its name — “compassion and relief” — when it partnered with another charitable organization and business to collect vitally needed health items for Sierra Leone medical officials facing serious supply deficients.
The international foundation has an active branch in San Dimas among its affliates on five continents and provides charitable, medical, educational and humanisic cultural assistance and aid to impoverished families and disaster victims in more than 90 countries. The nonprofit foundation recently partnered with Top Glove Medical USA Inc. and AIDP Inc. to fight infectious diseases and stress good health practices in Sierra Leone.
Working together, the three groups collected donations of 342,000 latex gloves and 1,190 17.9-ounce bottles of protein powder to be distributed to health facilities in the West African nation.
“Due to the shortage of latex gloves in Sierra Leone, patients and medical caregivers are at risk of being infected by the use of the same gloves or bare skin-to-skin contact without gloves,” said Debra Boudreaux, the foundation’s executive vice president.
“Our goal is to utilize our donating gloves to prevent infectious diseases by using one pair of gloves per patient per contact,” added Stephen Fomba, program manager of the West African region. “The supplies will help prevent infectious diseases. achieve post-ebola recovery goals and promote good health in Sierra Leone.”
Sabrina Ho, associate director of communications and public relations, said the foundation is an international humanitarian organization with special consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
“Founded by Dharma Master Cheng Yen in 1966, the organization has four major missions: charity, medicine, education and humanistic culture,” she said. “The foundation also engages in international disaster relief, bone marrow donation, community volunteerism and environmental protection.”
The foundation property in San Dimas serves as an environmentally balanced, conservation sensitive and volunteer-involved site. Its members assist the San Dimas Relay For Life, San Dimas Sheriff’s Boosters Club, public community programs, senior citizens, educational endeavors, veterans and charitable nonprofits.
