Tzu Chi Foundation founder Dharma Master Cheng Yen firmly believes that suffering in this world is caused by material deprivation and spiritual poverty. She said “lack of love for others” has been the root of many problems in this world, “to save the world, we must begin by transforming human hearts.”
Master Cheng Yen’s life has been guided by this mission: to go beyond herself and care not just for those close to her, but for every living being on the planet who needed such care.
Mission
To help those in need with love and care...a Mission of Love
Guided by Master Cheng Yen’s teachings and philosophy, Tzu Chi Foundation’s work is essentially a mission of love: to relieve the suffering of those in need, and create a better world for all.
In Mandarin Chinese, “tzu” means compassion, and “chi” relief. With open hearts and helping hands, a growing army of committed Tzu Chi volunteers all over the world are dedicated to relieving suffering with compassion, braving the frontlines of conflict, tragedy, and natural disasters to ensure all those in need—regardless of race, religion, color, age—have food and water, medicines to keep them healthy, and a safe space in the midst of chaos.
Tzu Chi was established with four overarching missions—charity, medicine, education, and humanistic culture—with charity as the first and most fundamental. In more recent years, finding more ways to help, Tzu Chi expanded its four missions to cover more contemporary concerns: bone marrow donation, community volunteerism, environmental protection, and international relief, with the eight now collectively known as Tzu Chi’s Eight Footprints.