VMs Bring Immediate Aid Following a 7.2 Earthquake in Haiti
- The 7.2 earthquake is the worst disaster to strike Haiti since the devastating quake in 2010.
- Thanks to the VM relief efforts in Haiti in 2010, today there are hundreds of trained VMs across the island nation.
On 14 August 2021, a 7.2 earthquake struck the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The epicenter of the shock was in the south of the country, approximately 93 miles west of the capital city of
Just two days after the earthquake, Tropical Storm Grace made landfall in Haiti, bringing heavy rain that caused flash flooding across the island. With extensive infrastructural damage, including several hospitals, the most immediate concern is to provide medical aid for the thousands injured and to build shelters for the tens of thousands displaced from their homes.
Thanks to the IAS-sponsored VM relief efforts in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, the international VM team that was there for more than two years trained hundreds of VMs and established groups across the country. As soon as the news of this earthquake broke, Scientology Volunteer Ministers International in Los Angeles contacted and activated many of the local VMs to help provide assistance to those in dire need.
The Haitian VMs immediately responded, setting up their base camp in the city of Les Cayes—one of the closest cities to the epicenter of the disaster. They have been visiting hospitals and delivering assists to the injured and working alongside first responders to search through rubble for survivors. To further increase their outreach and help, the VMs have delivered seminars to hundreds of participants to train them on the assist tech.
The Prime Minister of Haiti invited a prominent Haitian VM to a meeting to go over the Volunteer Ministers’ participation in the emergency disaster response. The Prime Minister was happy to know that Scientology VMs are helping and told them, “Thank you for the solidarity and support you have always shown towards the Haitian people.”
To bring aid on a larger scale, the IAS provided an emergency grant to deploy a team of highly experienced disaster response VMs to Haiti. The team also included Los Topos, the renowned search and rescue crew from Mexico, to find survivors. Since landing, the international VM team set up a mobile clinic, activating nurses to join them in delivering assists to the injured. The VMs also helped organize the distribution of supplies to the hospitals and those in need and have continued to train more volunteers on the VM technology to provide further aid.
After the VMs delivered seminars to a prominent agricultural organization called Rhalucof, its president told the VMs he wants to train on all 19 Scientology Volunteer Minister courses and wrote the following: “I would like Rhalucof to sign a protocol of engagement with Scientology. I have started to admire your philosophy and I want to continue Scientology in the South after you leave.”
Thanks to the support of the IAS, a growing team of Volunteer Ministers are again extending a helping hand to the people of Haiti and aiding them to recover from another natural disaster. If you would like to help by supporting the IAS, go to IASmembership.org—all donations make a difference.
