Cablegate: Ait Nomination for the 2010 Secretary's Award For

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FM AIT TAIPEI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2860
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 9561
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 3238
RUEHGZ/AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU PRIORITY 0377
RUEHHK/AMCONSUL HONG KONG PRIORITY 0952
RUEHGH/AMCONSUL SHANGHAI PRIORITY 2687
RUEHSH/AMCONSUL SHENYANG PRIORITY 7181

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN PHUM PREL KPAO TW
SUBJECT: AIT NOMINATION FOR THE 2010 SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE: SHIH CHENG YEN

REF: STATE 111471

1. (U) AIT is pleased to nominate SHIH Cheng Yen for the 2010
Secretary's Award for International Women of Courage.

2. (U) Cheng Yen is a Buddhist nun, teacher, philanthropist,
and the founder and leader of the Buddhist Compassion Relief
Tzu Chi Foundation. Cheng Yen established the Tzu Chi
Foundation in 1966 with a mission to bring charity to the
poor and inspire love and humanity in both givers and
receivers. From its first 30 members, housewives who saved
two cents a day from their grocery money to help the poor,
Tzu Chi has grown into over five million members in 47
countries, and is now one of the world's largest
philanthropic organizations. Cheng Yen's determination,
charisma, and devotion to helping individuals in need have
inspired and motivated millions of Tzu Chi volunteers to
provide services around the world in the fields of medicine,
education, environmental protection, and international relief.

3. (U) Tzu Chi's work in the medical field includes
establishing the world's third-largest bone marrow donor
registry, operating free dental and medical clinics, and
training nurses and doctors who serve disadvantaged
populations around the world. Tzu Chi has also established
education programs for children from preschool through
college age in numerous countries. In Taiwan, the foundation
operates over 4,500 recycling centers and is actively
involved in community-based environmental programs globally.
Tzu Chi has pioneered efforts to recycle plastic bottles into
textiles, and has already turned some 12 million used bottles
into more than 200,000 blankets that have been distributed to
disaster victims.

4. (U) When Cheng Yen decided to become a Buddhist nun, it
was over the objections of her mother. When she first went
to register for ordination, she was rejected. But Cheng Yen
persevered and took to heart the instruction of her teacher
to "work for Buddhism and for all living beings." In 1966
she was asked, "What has Buddhism done for society?," and
soon after witnessed firsthand the terrible consequences of
poverty and poor medical care in Taiwan's aboriginal
communities. Cheng Yen took up the challenge implicit in
that question and worked tirelessly to build the Tzu Chi
Foundation into one of the world,s foremost charitable and
relief organizations. Despite criticisms early-on from some
of her compatriots for Tzu Chi's work in Mainland China and
the difficulties of bringing aid to disasters zones in places
like Afghanistan and Pakistan, Cheng Yen has stayed true to
her core value of providing compassionate relief to whoever
is in need. Cheng Yen has been called "Taiwan's Mother
Theresa," and her example has undeniably been an inspiration
and a blessing to millions of individuals around the world.

5. (U) Tzu Chi's most far-reaching contributions, arguably,
are in the field of disaster relief. Projects have been
launched in countries ranging from Ethiopia to North Korea,
from Rwanda to Cambodia, and also the United States.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Tzu Chi supplied more than USD 4
million in shopping cards, bedding, and medical care and
supplies to victims. In the wake of the devastating 2004
Asian tsunami, Tzu Chi worked in Sri Lanka and Indonesia to
provide permanent housing, education, and medical assistance,
including in areas that had seen ethnic or religious
conflict. This past August's Typhoon Morakot disaster in
Taiwan claimed an estimated 700 lives and displaced
thousands. Tzu Chi volunteers directed by Cheng Yen were
among the first to brave dangerous conditions to provide
emergency financial assistance, hot meals, and clean-up crews
to affected areas. Tzu Chi's highly efficient organizational
structure and leadership put the foundation at the forefront
of Morakot relief efforts and earned widespread praise. Tzu
Chi is now in the process of building sustainable
eco-villages for displaced aboriginal populations, offering
victims jobs in construction and on the organic farms that
will support the new villages' economies, and is taking great
care to respect each displaced tribe,s traditions, religion,
and culture.

6. (U) Tzu Chi's apolitical stance has earned it respect from
all parties in Taiwan and around the world. In fact, the Tzu
Chi Foundation has been working in Mainland China for nearly
two decades, and in 2008 was the first non-PRC foundation to
receive legal recognition in the PRC. Cheng Yen has referred

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to Tzu Chi's relief work in Mainland China as "building a
bridge of love," and she has overcome political difficulties
to forge a successful example of cross-Strait cooperation,
which culminated most recently in the substantial material
aid and social services that Tzu Chi provided to victims of
last year's Sichuan earthquake.

7. (U) Full legal name: Ms. SHIH Cheng Yen
Job title/association: Founder, Tzu Chi Foundation
Date of birth: 04-May-1937
Place of birth: Taiwan
Passport: ROC
Contact information: Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu
Chi Foundation, No. 1, Lane 88, Jingshe Street,
Kanglo Village, Sing-Cheng Hsiang, Hualien County,
97150 Taiwan.
Tel: 886-3-826-6779
Fax: 886-3-826-7776
Passport number: None

8. (U) AIT Women's Issues POC is Political Officer Deanna
Kim, tel: 886-2-2162-2086.
STANTON

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