Help with a bow
身段柔軟的救助哲學 （鞠躬幫忙）
An unexpected bringer of relief in Myanmar and China
緬甸和中國：意料之外的救濟者
THE natural disasters that recently befell Myanmar and China have tested the willingness of both stricken countries to let in foreign helpers. Western relief organisations are still waiting to see whether Myanmar's armed forces meant what they said when they promised to let in all aid workers, regardless of nationality. China, though quick to accept money and material from the West, was slower to let in its people. But whereas Western do-gooders have queued for entry, volunteers from Taiwan's non-governmental organisations (NGOs) received a warmer welcome. A chartered relief mission from Taipei, led by a Burmese-born Buddhist monk, was among the first to land in Yangon, Myanmar's main city. In China, emergency workers from a Taiwanese foundation were among the first to reach Sichuan. This first-responder feat is all the more remarkable given the political impasse between China and Taiwan.
最近發生在緬甸和中國的天然災害，考驗著兩個受創的國度是否有意願讓外國援助進入。當緬甸允諾不論國籍，讓所有的救援人員入進，西方的救援團體正耐心等候緬甸軍政府是否會兌現承諾。中國雖然較快接受西方的金錢和物資，卻較慢讓救助人員進入。然而，就在西方的善心人士排隊等著踏上這兩個國度的時候，台灣的非政府組織（NGO）卻受到較善意的歡迎。第一批被允許踏上緬甸主要城市仰光的慈善團體，是來自台北，由緬甸出生的和尚所領導的。在中國，第一批抵達四川的則是從台灣慈善基金會所組成的急難救援團，在兩岸的政治僵局之下，第一時間對災區做出反應的事蹟，顯得更有意義。
Disaster relief plays to the strengths of Taiwan's NGOs. They have plenty of experience coping with earthquakes and typhoons at home, and can mobilise legions of volunteers at short notice. Operating in a vibrant democracy that encourages civil society is also handy, as is the charitable impulse of many Taiwanese. This is often channelled into Buddhist philanthropy, which troubles receiving countries less than the proselytising zeal that comes attached to some brands of Christian charity. Paradoxically, Taiwan's diplomatic isolation helps: its aid agencies can plead neutrality in countries such as Myanmar.
災難救助變成台灣NGO的優勢。他們在自己的國度有很多處理地震和颱風的經驗，並可以在短時間內動員大量的人，在一個民主蓬勃發展，鼓勵公民運動的社會，執行動員很便利，就跟很多台灣人一時興起的善念一樣，這種一時興起的善念常被導引成是佛教的佈施，這跟一些基督教的慈善團體帶有想要熱心地改變別人信仰的風格相比，較不會帶給接受幫忙的國家困擾。說來吊詭，台灣外交上的孤立，反而對此有幫助：該救援單位能夠在如緬甸這類的國家中以中立為由，進行救援動作。
The largest NGO in Taiwan—and by all accounts in the Chinese-speaking world—is the Tzu Chi Foundation, which has dozens of international chapters, around 10m supporters and annual donations of $300m. In Taiwan it runs hospitals, schools, a university, recycling centres and one of the world's largest bone-marrow banks. It began overseas relief work in 1991, responding to flooding along China's Yangzi river. Initially, its offer of help got a cool response from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Critics at home asked why they wanted to aid "the enemy". Eventually both sides relented, and China is now the biggest overseas recipient of Tzu Chi's low-key largesse. Earlier this year, it finally got a licence to operate freely as a 100%-foreign NGO, a first for China, it claims.
台灣最大的NGO，據華人地區的說法也是如此，就是慈濟。擁有許多國際的分部，大約有上千萬的支持者，每一年有三十億的捐款。在台灣，慈濟開醫院、學校、大學、回收中心，還有全世界屬一屬二的骨髓捐贈銀行。慈濟為了救援長江水患，於1991年開始海外賑災。一開始，慈濟的心意遭受兩岸的冷眼對待，台灣批評為什麼要去援助「敵人」，最後，雙方退了一步。現在，中國是慈濟低調地對海外慷慨救助的最大接受者。今年稍早，慈濟宣稱，它終於獲得中國第一個被允許可以自由地在內地運作的百分百外國NGO。
With projects in dozens of countries, Tzu Chi is starting to resemble its Western counterparts, except that its aid workers are trained volunteers who pay their own way to disaster zones. Master Cheng Yen, a Buddhist nun who founded the organisation in 1966, teaches that charitable givers must thank those they help in person, preferably with a bow. That is not just a wonderful bit of courtesy. It is also a way to make sure that aid reaches its recipients, rather than ending up in the hands of an unworthy government.
隨著許多國家都有其專案，除了慈濟的救援工作者受訓成為志工後，得要自費前往災區之外，慈濟越來越像西方的慈善團體。證嚴法師，一位佛教比丘尼，於1966年創辦慈濟，教導大眾志工得要親自感謝他們幫忙的人，最好能夠深深一鞠躬，這不只是展現美好的禮儀，更是一種可以確定資助確實送到接收者的手中，而非到了一點幫助都沒有的政府手上的方式。
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●這篇文章感恩英文王子張哲嘉協助翻譯，他是「讀靜思語學英文」的作者，也會到慈濟廣播組當志工教英文。他最近還出了一本書「英語片語辭典」，另外還有「竹科英文魔法師」、「這個字，英文你知道嗎？」等著作。
●經濟學人雜誌，1843年在英國創刊，已經有165年歷史。經濟學人雜誌，目前發行一百多萬份，大約一半的讀者群在北美，20%在歐洲大陸，15%在英國，10%在亞洲。《經濟學人》有意識地將自己看作是一份國際性雜誌，因此報導不僅僅局限於或偏重於英國或歐洲，因此其80%以上的讀者是在英國以外地區。
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