An experience with Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Turkey. 78 tonnes of supplies in hands of those who needed and helped more than 19,000 people
TURKEY, April 20, 2023 /APNEWS / EINPresswire.com / — On 6 February 2023, at 4:16 in the morning, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey near the Syrian border, killing more than 50,000 people in both countries and leaving many more injured.
As for the survivors, more than 160,000 buildings containing 52,000 homes were destroyed or severely damaged in Turkey alone, leaving more than 1.9 million people homeless and in desperate conditions, lacking adequate shelter, food, clean water and sanitation.
Thanks to a grant from the International Association of Scientologists, Volunteer Ministers (VMs) from various locations, including Tel Aviv, Florida, Mexico, Pakistan and others went directly to the disaster area, exemplifying the words of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard “Something can be done about it” which is the moto of the VMs.
As soon as they arrived, the Volunteer Ministers made themselves available to the disaster management authorities and the local government to find out what was needed and wanted.
As the country had been receiving a large number of donated supplies, what was urgently needed was to help organise the donations and the delivery of the items to the citizens who desperately needed them.
The Volunteer Ministers acted immediately, finding hundreds of thousands of supplies that had been piled up in large warehouses and were unusable for lack of hands to manage the logistics. They quickly set to work organising the supplies and delivering them to the Turkish people.
Most of the families the volunteers visited had ended up living in tents as temporary shelters, and many of them had not received help since the earthquake.
Scientology volunteers have been distributing everything from water, food, clothing and blankets to hygiene supplies and even toys to the children who lost everything when their homes collapsed.
As is often the case in a disaster zone, you have to address every situation that arises – you never know what might be needed:
For example, while on food distribution, they came to a family of 25 people who had no shelter to house them all. The Volunteer Ministers organised and set up a structure large enough to shelter them all from the elements, and safely. Many thousands are in need of help and stories like these are numerous.
And so, to further strengthen the disaster relief efforts, more Volunteer Ministers from all over Europe and South Asia arrived to join the teams, including a 4-person team of Volunteer Ministers from Spain.
The Volunteer Ministers continue to work alongside the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency on a daily basis, tidying up, loading and unloading supplies and collecting materials for delivery.
Everyone they work with is very grateful. One of the warehouse workers told one of the Volunteer Ministers: “We really admire the Volunteer Ministers because they are all hard workers, dedicated, and always looking to help others.” A senior official in the warehouse said: “You have no idea how much we appreciate you and your group for coming to Turkey and helping our people. You are all working from the heart.” And another officer said: “You are giving the best possible help to the people. We want to join you and do the same.”
Another man who had lost his wife and home in the earthquake approached the Volunteer Ministers and began to help them with distribution, simply joined them and went to work. At the end of the day, he told the Volunteer Ministers to please contact him if they needed anything. A couple of days later, the Volunteer Ministers needed a translator, so they went to the man and asked him to come with them to help. The man joined them, working with the Volunteer Ministers from morning to night. As he was leaving, the Volunteer Ministers thanked him and in return, he responded: “I felt useless after the earthquake and very depressed. I had nothing to do, no home, no family and no job. Today I felt good to be able to help others. I want to say THANK YOU to all of you for including me as a member of your team, I am now with you”. He has officially joined the Volunteer Ministers and continues to work with them on a daily basis.
Day after day, Volunteer Ministers continue to provide aid and relief to those affected by this catastrophic disaster. They have been even delivering seminars and workshops on how to do Scientology Assists, an exclusive procedure developed by L. Ron Hubbard which helps people “connect back” and feel relief while often being able to focus again. To date, they have delivered 78 tonnes of supplies and helped more than 19,000 people. And this is how the Volunteer Ministers are showing that something can be done.
