{"id":324012,"date":"2024-11-30T10:45:27","date_gmt":"2024-11-30T02:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tzuchiculture.org\/?p=324012"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:06:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T07:06:18","slug":"long-shadow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/rhythms-monthly\/rm2024\/long-shadow\/","title":{"rendered":"Long Shadow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In northern Uganda\u2019s refugee settlements, the sudden cut in international funding has left classrooms empty, clinics without medicine, and livelihoods collapsing overnight.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pigs
Pigs that survived severe flooding at a factory farm stand in contaminated water. Extreme weather, worsened by years of drought, caused nearby rivers to overflow. Factory farms amplify environmental risks, turning floods into biological hazards.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to the Anthropocene, where chicken bones may mark our era. Factory farming has exceeded environmental safety limits, with 11 billion chickens, 142 million pigs, 76 million cattle, 62 million sheep, and 12 million goats raised annually in Europe. This intensive farming system, the dominant method of meat, dairy, and egg production, is one of the world’s most polluting industries, responsible for nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, its direct impact on local environments remains underexplored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past two decades, European animal agriculture has transformed, favoring larger, specialized farms. Sterile, monotonous stables and towering silos increasingly define rural landscapes, casting long shadows over their surroundings. Noise, toxic air, disease, and water pollution plague neighboring communities, reshaping local ecologies and endangering public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Italy’s Po Valley, Giorgio B. lives amid an overwhelming stench of ammonia from nearby farms. “I lost my wife to an infection no antibiotic could cure. My grandchildren no longer visit; sometimes, the smell is unbearable. I vomit, lose consciousness, and must wear a mask.” The Po Valley, Europe’s most polluted region, is densely packed with livestock farms, making daily life a struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Giorgio,
Giorgio, a local resident, wears a mask to shield himself from the noxious fumes of nearby factory farms. Living near an intensive cattle farm, biogas plant, and chicken farm, he has suffered severe nausea, loss of consciousness, and repeated hospital visits. The pollution has shattered his daily life and driven his family away.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Across Europe, proximity to factory farms brings similar afflictions. In Murcia, Spain, Merchora Martinez, living 39 meters from a pig farm, suffers asthma-like symptoms and chronic headaches. The putrid air triggers nausea and deepens her depression. The oppressive stench forces residents indoors, ruins gardens, and withers trees. Life’s simplest pleasures\u2014drying clothes outside, opening a window\u2014become burdens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toxic emissions from factory farms include hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a Group 1 carcinogen. Exposure to PM2.5 is linked to heart and lung diseases, with an estimated 253,000 premature deaths in Europe annually. In heavily farmed Dutch regions, residents report chronic respiratory conditions. “I developed asthma after living here for ten years,” says Ans van Maris from Deurne. “I stay indoors because the air is unbearable. When I travel away, I can breathe again.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animals in factory farms endure cruel conditions: overcrowding, artificial lighting, deafening noise, filth, and disease. Chickens have less than an A4 sheet of space, while sows are confined in crates too small to turn around. These unhygienic environments are breeding grounds for pathogens. Industrial farms have been linked to influenza strains like H1N1 and H5N1, African Swine Fever, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Studies suggest factory farm regions suffered more severe COVID-19 outbreaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Egg-laying
Egg-laying hens crammed into cages on an intensive farm, barely able to move. The overcrowded and unsanitary conditions define the brutal reality of industrial egg production.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen years ago, the Netherlands faced a Q-fever outbreak from infected goats, killing at least 116 people and leaving thousands with chronic fatigue syndrome. Peter van Sambeek, a survivor, recalls, “I’m always tired and in pain. My memory is fading, and I’ve lost 70% of my life.” In Herpen, where the outbreak originated, 60% of residents show autoimmune reactions against Q-fever bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Factory farms also contaminate waterways. Excess manure elevates nitrate levels, forming carcinogenic compounds in drinking water. In Spain, over 200,000 people lack access to clean water. “Once a well is contaminated, it’s almost impossible to clean,” warns water expert Cristina Vilanueva. In Huesca, Cristina de la Vega’s tap water contains 140 mg\/l of nitrates, nearly triple the EU limit. “I stopped drinking tap water in 2017. I always buy bottled water.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many factory farm neighbors cannot afford to move, while property values plummet. In Poland’s \u017buromin, nicknamed “Chicken City,” 80 million chickens are produced yearly, rendering homes unsellable. Agnieszka Bia\u0142och\u0142awek, a police officer in Domaszkowice, blames the pig farm next door for her son’s breathing difficulties. “I have nightmares of suffocating. My son was born prematurely, and I fear for his health.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Europe, communities suffocate under the weight of factory farming. Some fight for their land, others are trapped by financial constraints. Yet, their struggle speaks to a greater cause: envisioning a future where land, animals, and people coexist harmoniously, free from the dark shadow of industrial farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Polluted
Polluted runoff from a pig farm seeps into the surrounding land and waterways, carrying waste and toxic chemicals into the environment.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In northern Uganda\u2019s refugee settlements, the sudden cut in international funding has left classrooms empty, clinics without medicine, and livelihoods collapsing overnight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":324013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Sierra Leone, one of the world's poorest nations, has seen a decade of collaboration between Tzu Chi and three nonprofit partners to aid the poor and vulnerable. Now, the focus is shifting toward self-sufficiency.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Volunteers from Tzu Chi's partner organizations in Sierra Leone lay stones over a muddy road to make it passable. In 2024, while delivering rice to the southeastern region, they encountered impassable roads due to heavy rain and had to find ways to continue their journey. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Passengers made their way to immigration after their plane touched down at Freetown International Airport in Sierra Leone. Among them was Tzu Chi USA volunteer Debra Boudreaux (\u66fe\u6148\u6167), who noted the airport's fully computerized systems, electric baggage carousels, and jet bridges. Such features are standard at most modern airports but a clear sign of progress compared to what she had seen on earlier visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She recalled that during her first trip in 2016, the airport had no jet bridges and luggage was handled manually. Conditions beyond the airport also appeared underdeveloped. What struck her most on this visit, in February 2025, six years after her last in 2019, were the visible signs of development. \"Many new buildings were going up,\" she said. \"Nights were no longer pitch black but lit with lights, and local markets bustled with diverse activity. There has been progress in every aspect of daily life\u2014food, clothing, housing, transportation, agriculture, and commerce. It may be slow, but it is real and visible.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi began its work in Sierra Leone in March 2015, responding to the Ebola outbreak by providing support to orphans, women, and people with disabilities. That effort sparked a decade-long partnership with local charitable organizations and sustained aid to various institutions. Today, Tzu Chi maintains an office in the country, with staff representing the foundation in government meetings and emergency relief efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February 2025, Johan Alwall (\u6b50\u53cb\u6db5) and Chu Yu-jia (\u891a\u4e8e\u5609) from Tzu Chi's headquarters in Taiwan traveled over 14,000 kilometers (8,700 miles) to join Debra Boudreaux for a 15-day visit. Together, they met with local organizations and partners to reflect on the past ten years' work and plan for future collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Koindu<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tzu Chi's connection to Sierra Leone can be traced back to Koindu, an agricultural town in the eastern part of the country, near the Liberian and Guinean borders. Koindu was one of the first areas in the nation affected by the 2013 Ebola outbreak, which ultimately claimed more than 10,000 lives across the three countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The virus spread rapidly in Sierra Leone, exacerbated by a weak public health system, the practice of family members caring for the sick, and traditional customs such as washing the deceased. The country recorded the highest number of infections among the three nations. Thousands of children lost their parents, and fear of the highly lethal disease led to the stigmatization and rejection of survivors and victims' families by their own communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2015, Tzu Chi began working with Caritas Freetown and the Healey International Relief Foundation to distribute food, tableware, beds, blankets, and other supplies. The Lanyi Foundation joined in 2016. Each year, Tzu Chi applies to Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (formerly the Council of Agriculture) for humanitarian rice aid. Some of the rice is shipped to Sierra Leone for distribution, along with multigrain powder provided by the monastics at the Jing Si Abode, the Buddhist convent founded by Master Cheng Yen that also serves as the headquarters of Tzu Chi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koindu is about a five-hour drive from Freetown, including 52 kilometers (32 miles) of rough dirt roads that are difficult to navigate, even with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, and especially during the rainy season. In September 2024, when a Caritas team delivered aid there, their truck became stuck, stranding them there for three days. They ended up relying on motorcycles from nearby villages to transport the supplies.
During their drive to Koindu on this trip, the visiting Tzu Chi team noted clear signs of change. Infrastructure improvements tied to China's Belt and Road Initiative were helping connect villages with better roads. Roadside vendors remained a familiar sight as they reached the outskirts of Koindu, but new additions included a police station and a mosque. Solar panels of various sizes dotted the landscape, providing electricity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a Saturday, so children were not in school. Some played outside their thatched homes, while others helped their parents with chores. Goats roamed freely along dirt paths. Women gathered to weave crafts or mix sand and soil to make bricks, preparing to expand their homes. Nearby, a group of mechanics repaired motorcycles\u2014the community's primary mode of transport. These scenes reflected signs of economic recovery in the impoverished village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Koindu has nine public schools, many children orphaned by Ebola still face discrimination and are denied access to education. \"What moved me most was Auntie Mary [Mary Sesay],\" said Debra Boudreaux. \"She founded an orphanage and a primary school to help these children rejoin society. Tzu Chi has supported the school since 2016 with rice and multigrain powder. The children are much healthier now.\"
Johan Alwall added that many orphans had been abandoned on the streets. Auntie Mary took it upon herself to find and care for them, ensuring they were fed and clothed, and placing them with foster families. Later, she even provided land for the construction of a school, which was named Smile With Us Primary School. During the team's visit, lessons written on the blackboard showed the students were receiving a solid education. One or two students were even pursuing university admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victoria, a teacher at the school, is an Ebola survivor. Though she recovered physically, the trauma remains. Grateful for Tzu Chi's years of support, she became a volunteer. In 2018, she traveled to Taiwan and met Master Cheng Yen in person. She continues to carry the Master's words in her heart and does her best to serve her community. She hopes the villagers will cherish and make good use of the support they've received from Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Mobilized by Tzu Chi, Caritas, the Healey Foundation, and the Lanyi Foundation, residents in Kroo Bay clean up their community following flooding in August 2023. (Courtesy of Tzu Chi Hualien headquarters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1218,1214],"tags":[1219,726],"dipi_cpt_category":[],"class_list":["post-324012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rm2024","category-rhythms-monthly","tag-1219","tag-rhythms-monthly"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324025,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324012\/revisions\/324025"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324012"},{"taxonomy":"dipi_cpt_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/culture.daaimobile.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/dipi_cpt_category?post=324012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}