Albert Lin, The Merit Times staff writer
July 12, 2023

In 2018, Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA) established the "Village of Hope" in slums in Chennai, India. On July 8, 2023, Venerable Jue Cheng, the Vice Secretary General of BLIA World Headquarters (Southeast Asia), led Venerable Jue Men, the BLIA South Asia Commissioner, Venerable Miao Ru, the Abbess of Fo Guang Shan Calcutta Buddhist Centre, and Venerable Miao Yu from BLIA World to visit the Village of Hope in Sooradimangalamj and Navalur. The purpose of the visit was to understand the development and educational needs of the Village of Hope.

BLIA adheres to the educational philosophy of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan, and provides care and education for underprivileged children in remote rural areas in southern India. They have established the "Village of Hope" with the aim of transforming the lives of impoverished children through education.

BLIA Chennai has been arranging its members and officials to visit "Village of Hope." photo／The Life News Agency

Venerable Jue Cheng expressed that education has the power to change destinies, and the role played by BLIA is not just about giving, but also teaching impoverished children how to set aspirations and create value in their lives.

Venerable Jue Cheng shared an inspiring story with the children, recounting her own journey from a humble background to achieving success. Venerable Jue Cheng used the example of underprivileged children in Brazilian slums to illustrate how BLIA, through the Sons of Zu Lai education program, provides children with education and life skills, ultimately transforming their lives and overcoming poverty.

Venerable Jue Cheng shared an inspiring story with the children, recounting her own journey from a humble background to achieving success. photo／The Life News Agency

Venerable Jue Cheng also explained "Three Acts of Goodness" and "Five Precepts" to the children, hoping that they can establish a proper view of life. Local councilor Balaji expressed gratitude to BLIA for their efforts in assisting children to receive education.

The children of "Village of Hope" performed a drama called "Religious Harmony" and traditional Indian dances to showcase their learning achievements and express gratitude for the care shown by Venerable Jue Cheng and her team.

The children of Village of Hope performed traditional Indian dances to showcase their learning achievements. photo／The Life News Agency

On that day, BLIA held a volunteer medical consultation in "Village of Hope," and Geetha Kumari, the president of BLIA Chennai, led the delegation to understand the operation of the medical consultation. Venerable Jue Cheng expressed the hope to establish a simple activity center for the village, providing a fixed learning space for the villagers and children. Village Chief Murthy led the delegation to survey the future site of the activity center and happily expressed he will provide assistance in the construction of the activity center.

For a long time, BLIA Chennai has been arranging its members and officials to visit "Village of Hope" to teach basic health education, traditional Indian dances, storytelling based on the Three Acts of Goodness, basic English, games, painting, and other courses. They hope that the activity center will provide even more assistance to the children's learning.

BLIA Chennai members brought snacks to the children. photo／The Life News Agency