Thank you friends for your kindness. We’ve made a second donation of RM400.00 to Taiwan Buddhist Tzu-Chi Foundation Malaysia.
After the 8.9 quake and subsequent tsunami, the people of Japan are short of many things, such as petrol and food. The members of Tzu-Chi will overcome all kinds of hurdles and deliver hot food into the hands of those in difficulty. The money donated will be used entirely for emergency relief and for long-term construction as Japan clears the rubble and prepares to rebuild.
Thank you and may we keep Japan in our prayers. We will make third trasnfer soon and friends who are wishing to donate, kindly contact us.
May all beings be happy.
Members of the international non-profit organisation, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, bow their heads as they collect donations in Sydney (photo: AFP)
Young and old, volunteers prepares the relief goods to ship to Japan. (Photo by Chien Shi-si; date: 03/13/2011; location: Jing Si Abode, Hualien, Taiwan)
The residents and volunteers pray together. (Photo by Chen Wei-chun; date: 03/16/2011; location: Oarai, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan)
Tzu Chi volunteers provide hot meals for the second day. (Photo by Hsiao Chi-jen; date: 03/17/2011; location: Oarai, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan)
Kuala Lumpur, 21st February 2011 – Earth Hour 2011 on 26th March prepares to showcase a growing global community committed to taking environmental actions that go beyond the hour. From now until Earth Hour 2012, WWF-Malaysia is urging everyone across the nation to take Earth Hour beyond the hour by signing up at wwf.org.my and pledging to “Live Green: One switch at a time.”
Each month, a simple action towards a more sustainable lifestyle will be highlighted at wwf.org.my. For example, individuals can pledge to switch off their TV and computer, instead of leaving these in standby mode.
“WWF-Malaysia hopes that Malaysians will join the global community this Earth Hour to take action that goes beyond the hour. It is easy to “Live Green: One switch at a time”, and the more people who make this pledge, the more powerful our efforts to protect our living planet become,” said WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.
Two photos show Malaysia's landmark Petronas Twin Towers before, left, and after being turned off its lights to mark Earth Hour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (image from www.syracuse.com)
From its inception as a single-city initiative in 2007, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement where hundreds of millions of people from every continent join together to acknowledge the importance of protecting our planet.
Earth Hour 2011 will ask Malaysians to:
• Switch off your lights for Earth Hour at 8.30pm, Saturday 26 March 2011 and celebrate your commitment to the planet with the people of the world
• Sign up at wwf.org.my and pledge to “Live Green: One switch at a time.”
• Sustain your actions beyond the hour
Earth Hour 2010 was the largest voluntary action for the environment in history with lights going out across 128 countries and over 4,500 cities worldwide. Earth Hour 2011 will again see hundreds of millions of people across all continents come together to celebrate an unambiguous commitment to the planet by switching off their lights for one designated hour.
The countdown to Earth Hour 2011 has begun, the iconic “lights out” event that has seen some of the world’s most recognized landmarks, including the KLCC Twin Towers, KL Tower, Forbidden City, Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace, Golden Gate Bridge, Table Mountain, Christ the Redeemer statue and Sydney Opera House switch off in a global celebration of the one thing that unites us all – the planet.
Thank you friends for your support, we have made our first transfer of USD 150.00 donation to International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for Japan quake relief.
Our donation will support the rescue works in Japan. And, we must give a deep bow of immense gratitude to all the volunteers’ efforts to respond to the emergency relief. There are many rescue workers or emergency workers risk their lives and some even sacrificed themselves! Many stories of heroism are reported such as one as reported by Japanese journalist Chie Matsumoto:
“People received the warning through the city speakers that are set up outside. They heard, ‘A big tsunami is coming. You need to evacuate.’ Shortly after, they heard, ‘Run!’
“The announcement was cut off and the people never heard from the speakers, or the people who announced it, again. The few people assigned to announce it were at the disaster prevention center, and they went missing.
“They sacrificed their lives to send everyone else to a safer place. They gave priority to others’ safety. The disaster prevention center is now under the mud brought on by the tsunami.”
Although we are not on the ground to help like them nor to be like them, we can still send out our prayers to give them (both rescuers and victims) hope and strength in the face of this terrible catastrophe.
Thank you again and we will soon to make a second transfer. Friends who wish to contribute, kindly contact us. Sharing some photos taken from Red Cross flickr:
Those who have suffered near drowning are wrapped in blankets and then plastic sheeting to keep them both warm ad dry before being transported to Ishinomaki Red Cross hospital for treatment. (Photograph: Toshirharu Kato, Japanese Red Cross)
For some of the youngest patients, who may be particularly vulnerable, special care must be provided, however warm skin and a kind voice, together with a watchful eye can go a long way to ensure a speedy recovery. (Photograph: Toshirharu Kato, Japanese Red Cross)
One week after the earthquake struck and tsunami surged through, a Japanese Red Cross volunteer surveys the damage to Otsuchi in Iwate prefecture. (Photograph: Japanese Red Cross Society)
Technicians scan Red Cross rescue workers for signs of radiation in Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture in northern Japan, after an earthquake and tsunami struck the area, March 14, 2011. (Photograph: Reuters/Kyodo)
A huge 8.9 earthquake, subsequent tsunami, and nuclear meltdown struck Japan on March 11th at 2:46 pm, causing immeasurable human suffering and physical damage. Officials say at least 10,000 people were killed, many more are still missing or injured, and millions are without food, water, power in Japan.
Major disasters always require a huge amount of international support to provide relief and long term recovery efforts. Japan, being one of the world’s most generous nations, has always donated when other countries have experienced disasters. In these, their days of greatest need now, we stand ready and are eager to help the Japanese in this time of great trial.
I’ve received calls these two days from friends who have expressed their sympathy and wish of helping those who are at risk in Japan now. We are getting the assessments by the reputable aid organisations such as Red Cross, Tzu Chi, World Vision, Salvation Army and those already have a presence in the impacted area and their response will likely be faster and more efficinet than other organizations that are not on the ground.
Right now, while waiting and see how the relief situation develops, we express our heartfelt sympathy for the tragic loss and are ready to assist the reputable aid organisations. Friends, you can make a donation to well-known charitable organisations or through us as we are collecting fund and will make the transfer next week to the organisations mentioned that are working on relief and recovery in the region.
A woman cries amid the destruction in Natori, Japan (Reuters photo)
Residents walk along a path overlooking shattered homes from the tsunami in Kesen Numa, Miyagi Prefecture. (Reuters photo)
A man surveys the damage in Minami Sanriku, a town in Miyago Prefecture, on Tuesday, March 15. (AFP/Getty photo)
A Self Defense Forces soldier holds a 4-month-old baby in Ishinomaki city in Miyagi prefecture Monday. The child survived the tsunami with her family. (AFP/Getty photo)
Hi! I am CJ, blogger of Juesatta and photographer of CJ Photography.
I love and enjoy photography, thus make me a lifestyle wedding photojournalist and portrait photographer based in Melaka, a lovely town full of history and characters in Malaysia.
Wedding is the sweetest thing of one’s life because it celebrates love, therefore I have always been passionate for capturing beautiful, natural and romantic wedding day images of moments for couples to be cherished a lifetime.
Drop me an email cj@cjfen.com and will be great to hear from you!