Volunteer Ministers from Nepal join local volunteers in response to Chennai disaster.

A team of trained Scientology Volunteer Ministers from Nepal, veterans of their 7.8 magnitude earthquake, are providing relief to victims of the record flooding in Chennai, India. Torrential monsoon rainfall caused the infrastructure to fail, submerging the South Indian city.

The worst floods to hit the region in a century drove some 1.8 million people from their homes and left 450 dead. More than 18,000 people were evacuated from rooftops as the cascading flood surged. In 24 hours, Chennai was pummeled by 500 millimeters of rain—a deluge not witnessed in living memory. The catastrophe has caused an estimated $3 billion in damage.

The Volunteer Ministers have prepared and distributed food
to thousands of school children and people left stranded in shelters.

Hearing the news, Binod Sharma, a human rights advocate who also heads up the Nepal Volunteer Ministers, gathered seven of his most experienced and competent members to help Chennai. They joined the 20 members of the Youth for Human Rights group Sharma established in Chennai in 2014, who were already hard at work distributing food and water to flood victims. 

 

The Volunteer Ministers have prepared and distributed food to thousands of school children and people left stranded in shelters and have formed two local Volunteer Ministers groups whose members are now part of the disaster response team.

In addition to their relief work, Volunteer Ministers are skilled at helping people recover from such disasters because they are trained to deliver assists—techniques developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard that address the spiritual and emotional factors in stress and trauma. Through Scientology assists, those affected by disaster find themselves able to come to terms with their circumstances and begin creating the future for themselves and their families. The team has provided assists to those in need. 

A global network of Volunteer Ministers mobilizes in times of man-made and natural disasters, answering the call wherever needed. Collaborating with some 1,000 organizations and agencies, they have utilized their skill and experience in providing physical support and spiritual aid at hundreds of disaster sites.