Five-Day Seminar to Equip Police and Civic Leaders with Disaster Skills

Scientology Volunteer Ministers and Los Topos search and rescue specialists train community leaders in Jérémie, one of the towns hardest hit by the August 14, 7.2 magnitude Haiti earthquake.

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti August 14 toppled homes in Jérémie, capital city of Grand Anse in southwestern Haiti near the epicenter of the quake, and filled the hospitals beyond capacity. But its effect on the state of mind of those living in the region is what led former mayor Yvon Janvier to contact the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Haiti Disaster Response Team for help.

Janvier heard that the Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Les Cayes were delivering seminars on Scientology assists—techniques developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard that help relieve suffering by addressing the emotional and spiritual factors in stress and trauma. He wanted to share this information with his city’s first responders and community leaders. 

In coordination with Janvier’s nonprofit GRADE, Groupe d'Appui au Développement et à la Démocratie (Support for Development and Democracy Group), Fondation Communautaire Haïtienne (Haitian Community Foundation) and other humanitarian organizations, the Volunteer Ministers organized a five-day seminar for Haitian National Police officers, firefighters, the Haitian Red Cross and other local stakeholders to equip them with tools to respond to future disasters.

Hosted by Maria Stella Maris Church, the seminar was to cover the basics of first aid, search and rescue skills and Scientology assists.

The first day featured a workshop by Los Topos search and rescue specialist, firefighter and emergency medical technician Carlos Cienfuegos. Those attending learned vital skills that can save lives, including reading blood pressure, administering CPR, how to stop excessive bleeding, and how to splint a broken limb. 

The next, focusing on search and rescue, was delivered by Los Topos founder Héctor “El Chino” Méndez. Attendees were presented with simulated disaster zone conditions and learned how to safely find and remove the injured from a collapsed building.

 

Later sessions will train those attending on Scientology assists, which are also covered in a free online course available through the Volunteer Ministers and Scientology websites. 

The Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers program is a religious social service created in the mid-1970s by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. A Scientology Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response team spent many months in Haiti to help the country recover from the 2010 earthquake and to train and establish Volunteer Ministers groups throughout the island that have continued to serve their communities ever since.

A Volunteer Minister’s mandate is to be “a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Their creed: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”

Their motto is, no matter the circumstances, “Something can be done about it.”