This old woman had lost everything until strangers began rifling through the rubble of her house…

Taiwan has often been struck by earthquakes and floodwaters. When Typhoon, Nepartak, wrought violent destruction at the beginning of July, at least 83 people lost their lives and many more their livelihoods. These pictures show the full magnitude of the devastation.

One of the victims was a senior citizen from Pingtung named Mrs. Chang. She lost her all of her belonging as the tidal wave and storm caused her house to collapse. In the span of one day, the elderly woman who lived alone was rendered homeless.

But just as she had given up all hope, members of the Formosa Charity Group came to her assistance. The mission of the organization is to assist people in Taiwan to rebuild their homes—free of cost—following a catastrophic flood or earthquake. Since its founding in 1999, Formosa has already been able to help many victims.

The volunteer helpers come from different professional backgrounds: some are teachers, others are cooks, and then there are students and policemen. Engineers are also at hand to coordinate the energetic volunteers in the process of rebuilding. They often work from dawn into to the middle of the night so that houses are reconstructed as quickly as possible. They work without any compensation; their only wish is to help others.

Mrs. Chang from Pingtung is one of those who received help. When the volunteers noticed how distressed the old woman was, they summoned all of their energy and worked even more quickly than usual. And so they achieved the incredible: in only one day, they built the foundation, laid the bricks for the walls and poured the cement. When Mrs. Chang saw her house reappearing before her eyes, she couldn’t hold back the tears.

To her, the volunteers are true heroes. The leader of the group explained his motivation: “We’re not just building houses, we’re giving people hope.” Their joy couldn’t be greater than when they see how thankful and happy people are when they have a roof over their heads once again.

How beautiful it is that there are groups like Formosa and their volunteer helpers? They show how much good we can achieve when we work together, and how in the middle of destruction and distress, how one can give people new hope.

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/formosacharity2001/ , https://www.facebook.com/dashu.lin?hc_location=ufi

Source: http://www.hefty.co/after-the-flood/