Scouts Erect Tent City on School Football Field in Quake-Devastated Kathmandu Suburb
Scientology Volunteer Minister-trained helpers prove themselves a vital asset in Nepal’s recovery, giving temporary shelter to those left homeless.
Scientology Volunteer Minister-trained Nepali Scouts construct temporary housing for those who lost their homes.
A school football field has been reinvented as a tent city in its post-earthquake life, thanks to the help of a team of hundreds of volunteers, including members of the Canadian Army and Volunteer Minister-trained Nepali Scouts.
Combing through the rubble to find possessions
Most of the 35,000 residents of the Kathmandu suburb lost their hillside homes, which collapsed or were damaged beyond repair by the earthquakes and aftershocks that have besieged the region since April 25. As the center point of the city, the school was a logical place to build temporary housing, and hundreds of families are living there under the care of the school.
The Scouts and Volunteer Ministers have worked in Nepal as partners since 2008, when the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour introduced several Scout Leaders to the program and trained them in disaster relief, long before this most recent tragedy devastated their country.
Hundreds of Nepali Scouts, wearing Scout scarves with their distinctive yellow Volunteer Ministers T-shirts, are part of the Scientology Nepal Disaster Response
Hundreds of Nepali Scouts, wearing Scout scarves with their distinctive yellow Volunteer Ministers T-shirts, are part of the Scientology Nepal Disaster Response. They have proven to be a tremendous asset to the recovery effort in their country that began within hours of the earthquake when a Scout Leader enlisted a group to clear the roads of rubble so emergency teams could get through to rescue survivors.
Whether serving in their communities or on the other side of the world, the motto of the Scientology Volunteer Minister is “Something can be done about it.” The program, created in the mid 1970s by L. Ron Hubbard and sponsored by the Church of Scientology International as a religious social service, constitutes one of the world’s largest and most visible international independent relief forces.
The Volunteer Minister “helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.”
A global network of Volunteer Ministers mobilizes in times of manmade 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.
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