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 Disaster and Trauma Relief

"Service is to see what is needed, to be available to the situation, surrounding circumstances and the willingness to jump into it - to be available." -- Sri Sri.

Over the years, whenever tragedy has struck our planet, Art of Living volunteers together with the International Association for Human Values, have come together in a unanimous spirit of service and solidarity - Giving from the heart, food, supplies, shelter, trauma counselling or stress-relief workshops to victims of the capriciousness of nature or man.

 Recent Activities

  • Tsunami (Dec. 2004): Emergency supplies, trauma & stress relief workshops, but most importantly lending the survivors of the tsunami a hand to rebuild their lives..

  • IRAQ: One of the few NGOs active in Afghanistan & Iraq during the conflict, Art of Living volunteers are bringing Trauma & stress relief workshops for traumatized men, women & children; Free medicines and care for war victims.

 

2003 - 2004
  • Bam Earthquake, Iran (Jan. 2003) - Trauma counselling & relief materials like clothes

  • Belsan Terror Attack, South Russia - Trauma counseling for 1,500 children and the Russian military.

  • River Elbe Floods, Germany - More than 150 volunteers from 4 countries worked 2 weeks in streets and cellars to take out destroyed materials, trauma counseling/stress management for the victims of the flood.

2002 - 2003

  • Jakarta Floods, Indonesia (April 2002)
    Volunteers repaired schools, buildings & water storage tanks. They also provided:
    - Free medical camps serving over 500 affected residents;
    - School uniforms to 278 underprivileged children in Muara Kapuk (Jakarta's most severely affected area)
    - Supplies like typewriters, ceiling fans, books and reference material to affected schools.

  • Kosovo Conflict: (May 2002)
    - Provided supplies like food and clothing
    - Cleaned areas damaged by the stride in conjunction with UN Civil administrators;
    - Conducted trauma relief courses for 700 people that included UN peacekeepers, torture victims, massacre witnesses and disabled KLA veterans, in conjuction with the Ministry of Health. Similar programs for the Indian Special Police unit in Kosovo were run for 120 officers

2001-2002

  • Afghanistan: Trauma & stress relief workshops for traumatized men, women & children; Stress management workshops for NGO & UN staff; providing care war victims -

  • 9/11, New York, USA: Within hours of the 9/11 attack Art of Living volunteers in New York were on the scene offering refreshments and aid to the fire fighters. Over 80 free trauma relief workshops were provided to over 1000 people.
  • Earthquake, Gujarat, India: While the aftershocks of the earthquake still rocked the state, Art of Living volunteers opened their hearts and homes to victims - turning their homes into communal kitchens for entire neighborhoods and providing comfort and help wherever they could. Over 100,000 people were provided with food, shelter and trauma counselling in the aftermath. The Art of Living family came together to rebuild 16 schools and adopted one village for complete reconstruction.

  • Orissa Cyclone
    - Provision of food, clothes and other relief material to various villages of Puri (slum areas of Bhubaneshwar), Kendrapara and Paradip; and,
    - Aided the Swami Arupananda charitable trust, which was carrying out relief work in Tarapur.

  • Floods, Poland: Volunteers collected and provided large amounts of food, clothing, and furniture to flood victims and the homeless. They rebuilt a school giving selflessly of their time, effort, energy and money to help bring lives back to normal.

 

 

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