Scientology Volunteer Ministers Philippines Disaster Response
Bringing help to survivors of super typhoon Haiyan (known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines)
Since Typhoon Yolanda struck on November 8, 2013, a corps of 70 Scientology Volunteer Ministers from the Church of Scientology Mission of Manila and veteran disaster response specialists from the United States, Australia, Thailand and Japan have provided help to the people of the Philippines.
Yolanda is one of the deadliest typhoons on record. An estimated 4 million people were displaced. In some regions, entire city blocks were washed away and more than 90 percent of the infrastructure was damaged.
The Volunteer Ministers have helped with clean up and with organizing and distributing food, clothing, and other vital supplies to those left homeless by the typhoon. Working with NGOs and charities, Volunteer Ministers have cooked meals for thousands of people and packaged more than 12,000 liters (3,170 gallons) of water for distribution.
What distinguish these volunteers most, however, is the Scientology assists they use to help people one-on-one. Assists are techniques developed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard to help the individual recover from the emotional and spiritual effects of loss, stress and trauma.
In Manila, at the benefit concert the Volunteer Ministers helped organize in the city’s popular Rizal Park, the more than 15,000 who attended learned a simple Scientology assist they can use to help their friends and families.
Rizal Park is also where the Volunteer Ministers erected several large tents where they delivered one-on-one help and dozens of seminars in Scientology assist technology and other basic Scientology tools.
They have also established and trained five local Volunteer Ministers groups that will carry on their work once the immediate relief activities are done.
In creating the Volunteer Ministers program, L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a Volunteer Minister and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”