Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
July 3, 2023

A beautiful encounter took place at the Fo Guang Shan's Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China in Paraguay, where Holy Mother Mary met Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The children they both love will live in this world in good health and safety.

Most Venerable Hsin Bao visited the babies in incubators.  photo／The Merit Times

Most Venerable Hsin Bao, the Abbot of Fo Guang Shan and the delegation, arranged by Venerable Miao Yuan, visited Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China located in the city of Ciudad del Este on June 30. They were accompanied by Dr. Guido Venialgo, the hospital director. The band of the Paraguayan Third Infantry Brigade performed the songs "We are Fo Guang members" and "The Song of Fo Guang Shan" to welcome them.

In the hospital, there are mothers breastfeeding and enjoying the joy of being new mothers, premature babies fighting for their lives in incubators, and critically ill infants receiving medical care. Everyone deeply appreciates the longstanding and free assistance provided by the Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA).

A newly delivered mother lovingly gazes at her baby.photo／The Merit Times

According to Song Yongjin from the Fundacion para la Salud los Angeles Paraguay - China, in 1992, Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang Shan, came to Paraguay and established the BLIA Paraguay, making it the first Buddhist organization in Paraguay.

At that time, Venerable Master Hsing Yun pointed out that Paraguay had a significant wealth gap, leading to the unfortunate deaths of many poor individuals who couldn't afford medical treatment or medication. Therefore, the Chinese community engaged in business in Paraguay should participate in charitable and philanthropic activities to give back to the local community.

Most Venerable Hsin Bao gave his blessings to the critically ill infants. photo／The Merit Times

Since 1998, BLIA Paraguay and Fundacion para la Salud los Angeles Paraguay - China have adhered to the principle of "to benefit societies through charitable programs" among Fo Guang Shan’s Four Objectives. They set up tents next to nurse Nilsa's house to provide free medical consultations and medication. These facilities were very basic but marked an important starting point.

To meet the significant healthcare demands in Paraguay, BLIA Paraguay started the construction of Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China. The hospital was officially inaugurated in 2003 and will celebrate its 20th anniversary in November of this year. The number of patients treated has reached 1,313,152, which is approximately four times the population of Ciudad del Este. This means that on average, each resident of Ciudad del Este has visited the hospital for medical consultations four times.

There is a pharmacy in the Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China. photo／The Merit Times

During this period, a total of 52,743 babies were born at Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China, which accounts for about 1/6 of the population of Ciudad del Este. In other words, approximately one out of every six individuals in the city was born at this hospital. The hospital's incubators have saved the lives of 8,116 premature babies, approximately 2.5% of the population of Ciudad del Este. This means that for every 100 children in the city, around 2 have been saved by the incubators.

Given the inadequate nutrition of many mothers and the lack of healthy breast milk for infants after childbirth, the hospital has established a milk bank. This is the only milk bank in Alto Paraná, the province to which Ciudad del Este belongs. Healthy mothers donate their surplus breast milk to the bank.

Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China has established a milk bank. photo／The Merit Times

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China is operated under an agreement between the Paraguayan Ministry of Health and the TESAI Foundation. In order to reduce the burden on impoverished families, the hospital has an office for civil registration, which facilitates the issuance of birth certificates and identification documents for newborns.

The Secretary-General of Fundacion para la Salud los Angeles Paraguay - China, Qiu Junjie, stated that due to widespread malnutrition among the Paraguayan population, the foundation has launched the "Soy Milk Project." They use local soybeans to produce soy milk and utilize the byproduct to make supplementary food with high protein content to supplement nutrition.

The office for civil registration in Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China facilitates the issuance of birth certificates and identification documents for newborns. photo／The Merit Times

Currently, there are 134 soy milk stations in the 10 provinces of Paraguay. They provide 45,000 liters of free soy milk per month to impoverished patients at Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China and to underprivileged families in remote areas, addressing the issue of hunger. The results of this project have been remarkable, prompting the municipal government to allocate funds for the foundation to purchase soybeans and jointly promote this initiative.

Song Yongjin stated that Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China has a monthly expenditure of approximately $500,000, which is a considerable burden. Therefore, the hospital is jointly operated by Fundacion para la Salud los Angeles Paraguay-China, ITAIPU, and TESAI Foundation. ITAIPU provides funding, TESAI manages the hospital's operations, and the foundation oversees the process.

The supplementary food made of sobeans. photo／The Merit Times

Most Venerable Hsin Bao stated that Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China embodies the spirit of Buddhism, which is unconditional loving kindness and universal compassion. "If you need me, I will help you." Through practical actions, we take care of everyone, which is what Venerable Master Hsing Yun refers to as "practicing Buddhism through action." Most Venerable Hsin Bao expressed gratitude to venerables from Fo Guang Shan who have been dispatched to Paraguay, and the selfless dedication of all the BLIA members.

Most Venerable Hsin Bao anf the delegation took a group photo. photo／The Merit Times

There are over 30 people in the delegation, including Venerable Hui Dong, Abbot of Hsi Lai Temple; Venerable Ru Yang, Abbess of San Bao Temple; Venerable Miao You, the Abbess of I.B.P.S. Do Brasil; Venerable Yi Xuan, Superintendent of Hsi Lai Temple; Venerable Miao Yuan, Director of Research Center at Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism; Mr. Zhang Ali and Mr. Huang Yaorong, Vice Presidents of Fundación para la Salud los Angeles Paraguay - China; Ms. Guo Fengwen, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Ms. Zhang Wenqi, Deputy Secretary General; Mr. Gu Haijiang, Chairman of the Asociacion China en Ciudad del Este; Venerable Chen Shixian, Supervisor of the BLIA Argentina; and Supervisor Ye Qinghe of the BLIA Chile, among others.

Outside the Hospital Los Angeles Paraguay-China, there is a statue of the Holy Mother Mary holding a baby and a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also holding a baby, symbolizing religious harmony. There is also a statue of smiling Maitreya Bodhisattva welcoming everyone.

There is a statue of the Holy Mother Mary holding a baby and a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also holding a baby, symbolizing religious harmony. photo／The Merit Times

There is a statue of smiling Maitreya Bodhisattva welcoming everyone. photo／The Merit Times