On 28 May 1995, Sakhalin Island on the Pacific coast of Russia was violently hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6. The northern city of Neftegorsk was almost completely destroyed; the death toll a devastating 60 percent, with only 1,189 people left alive out of a population of 3,000.
It was into this scene that the Ministry of Emergency flew a team of nine Volunteer Ministers. They aided in providing food, water and blankets to victims of the earthquake and worked tirelessly to bring them out of shock by delivering hundreds of assists. Their efforts to help the island’s inhabitants reconstruct their homes and rebuild their lives was commended by local emergency personnel; in fact, a senior official in his report to the Ministry of Emergency in Russia said, "I consider the work of this group vital and very useful."
On the other side of the world, in the southern hemisphere, Johannesburg was the seat of the 2002 United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development. Due to recent terrorist attacks, tensions were high and 2,600 out-of-town policemen were ordered to come to the summit site and provide extra security. Because of the stress levels of those working the security detail, the South African Police Service (SAPS) called upon local Scientology Volunteer Ministers to provide assists to the policemen on duty to help relieve strain and anxiety. The assists proved so effective that many police officers personally requested further services of the Volunteer Ministers, including assists and other tools.
Earthquake aid, Turkey |
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When a deadly earthquake rolled across western Turkey’s heartland in 1999, killing more than 2,000 people and injuring 10,000, local Volunteer Ministers teamed with others from Hungary and Germany to assist the survivors to overcome the tragedy and take back their lives.
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In appreciation of the help provided by the Volunteer Ministers, one of the SAPS officials wrote, "I would like to thank you and your group of volunteers who came to the rescue of our police officials who were tasked with policing the [World Summit on Sustainable Development]. I have no doubt that this has also contributed to the success of security at the summit."
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Based on the Volunteer Ministers’ success at this convention, Johannesburg officials subsequently requested that local precincts be trained in the technology used by the volunteers. In January 2003, a programme was launched to train South African police officers on these methods, as laid out in
The Scientology Handbook. Of primary interest was the section that dealt specifically with how to resolve conflicts. To date, more than 30 workshops have been held in eight Johannesburg police precincts, with rave responses from the police officers.
