VZCZCXRO7471
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DE RUEHIN #1426/01 3380918
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O 040918Z DEC 09
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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001426 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/WGI 
 
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 
 
TAIPEI 00001426  002 OF 002 
 
 
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