The Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation will build “green” houses for Aborigines who lost their homes to Typhoon Morakot, on land donated by the Kaohsiung County Government.
Lin Pi-yu (林碧玉), deputy chief executive of the Tzu Chi Foundation, the nation’s biggest charity, signed a letter of intent with Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsiung (楊秋興) earlier yesterday on building a new village, to be called Da-ai (大愛, meaning “big love”), for displaced typhoon victims.
Under a preliminary agreement, the county government will provide land for the charity to build up to 1,000 permanent homes to accommodate displaced people from several Aboriginal townships in the county.
The Tzu Chi Foundation will raise the funds to build the houses, Lin said.
Yang said the county government had selected 22.8 hectares in Shanlin Township (杉林) to build the village.
The site, located near Shanlin Junior High School, is owned by state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp.
Yang said he would seek the central government’s assistance in acquiring rights to the land as soon as possible.
He said the houses would be offered to typhoon victims free of charge, with the proviso that they cannot be sold for a specified period of time.
The housing in Da-ai will be environmentally friendly, Lin said.
Out of respect for Aboriginal customs, Da-ai’s roads will not be paved, Lin said. The village will also feature a youth activity center and a handicraft gallery where residents can display and sell their traditional crafts, Lin said.
As many Aborigines affected by Morakot are reluctant to resettle on the plains, the central government should offer incentives such as employment opportunities, Yang said.
Lin said his foundation would discuss relocation with Aboriginal communities in areas vulnerable to landslides.
Agriculture and other human activity has increased the risk of mudslides, putting mountain communities, many of which are Aboriginal, in harm’s way.
“Tzu Chi will reinforce its communication with Aboriginal village chiefs to convince them of the importance of land restoration and persuade them to relocate to safer places to establish new homes and return the mountains and forests to Mother Nature,” Lin said.
Tzu Chi has built many villages in disaster zones in Taiwan and other countries.
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