The Art of Living Foundation has been a global phenomenon in developing programs that provide simple yet potent techniques to eliminate the mental and physical stresses associated with disasters and traumatic events. Over the years, whenever tragedy has struck our planet, the volunteers of Art of Living Foundation (AOLF) together with those of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), have come together in a unanimous spirit of service and solidarity to aid the victims of the capriciousness of nature or man.
The AOLF and IAHV have developed a very effective and dynamic model for swift response to disasters. This comprises three well defined stages:
Immediate Material Aid and Service: This entails providing whatever emergency services and materials that might be needed at ground-zero in the aftermath of the calamity. This includes, but is not limited to food, clothing, medicines, shelter. Medical Doctors and physical and mental health experts are always at the forefront of the efforts.
Short Term Trauma Relief : In times of catastrophe when the victims have experienced severe physical and emotional trauma, material help alone is not sufficient. Alleviating the trauma and re-kindling the will to live in the survivors are even more important. The AOLF's stress-eliminating breathing techniques have proven to be extremely effective in times like this in overcoming the post-traumatic stress. Specialized workshops with trauma relief experts are the core component of AOLF's relief initiative.
Long Term Rehabilitation: True disaster relief can only happen when the survivors are completely rehabilitated in to the walk of life with proper means of earning their livelihood. This is achieved by adopting villages and communities under the 5H program of AOLF and building homes, sanitation systems, roads, schools, vocational training centers and other infrastructure.
"I always feel the world is a global family and during such disasters we can learn from one another… These are moments when we have to address the stress and loss of confidence people have experienced as result of the disaster. Unless the trauma is released, attending to the material needs will not be sufficient. I welcome more and more people to come forward to bring about that sense of belongingness." – Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
In August 2006, heavy floods ravaged the city of Surat in the western Indian state of Gujarat, claiming the lives of hundreds and affecting thousands more. Water levels were as high as a staggering 22 feet in some parts of the city, causing an estimated economic loss in excess of US $500 million.
Relief Camps
More than 1,500 volunteers worked together, resulting in wide-spread distribution of drinking water (600,000 pouches), milk (3,500 litres), food (4 tonnes) and medical supplies. The conditions were often treacherous, with volunteers having to wade through chest deep water at times.The Art of Living volunteers worked closely with local government officials, the army, other NGOs and service organizations, to extend assistance to the affected, including individuals trapped in remote areas.
Medical Camps
82 medical camps have been established throughout the city, especially in the severely affected regions of Rander, Varachha, Anand School and Simada Gaon, providing aid to more than 11,000 individuals. The Art of Living volunteers are also assisting Civil Hospital Doctors and the Red Cross.Now, with the flood waters receding, health officials are on alert with the possibility of a plague outbreak (like that which occurred after the 1994 Surat floods.) The Art of Living volunteers are working in conjunction with the Surat Municipal Corporation to urgently clean up flood affected areas.
The 11 July 2006 Mumbai train bombings were a series of seven bomb blasts that took place over a period of 11 minutes on the Suburban Railway in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and India's financial capital. 209 people lost their lives and over 700 were injured in the attacks.
Relief Efforts
Trauma relief programs including meditation sessions for victims and witnesses are still being conducted by AOLF.
Testimonials
"Memories of the blast, the bleeding bodies and the screams haunted me for nights until my wife Pushpa finally forced me into attending this course that has completely rejuvenated my entire being" --- Dinesh Tirodkar
"It was only after the meditation that Dinesh slept soundly an entire night" --- Pushpa Tirodkar
"After attending just these few days of the course, I have now geared up to deal with any disaster with a smile. In fact I boarded a local train from Goregaon to Malad to attend today's session" --- Vishwas Rao
A devastating earthquake hit Kashmir on 8 October 2005 which left over 1000 dead, hundreds of homes destroyed and countless numbers numbed and traumatized.
The Trauma
People were unable to shut their eyes for fear that the earthquake would recur. They were complaining of total lack of peace and also restlessness. The children were experiencing physical symptoms like body ache and stomach ache. A streak of aggression towards each other was also significant.
Relief Camps
Within 48 hours of the earthquake volunteers of the AOLF and the IAHV reached the worst affected areas providing relief. The early relief camps were organized spontaneously. Local volunteers toured the remote countryside much ahead of official machinery, identifying victims and providing trauma relief to the villagers. In many instances, entire villages exhibited symptoms of fear and depression.
Larger relief camps were held as soon as communication networks were restored. In Kamalkot and Tangdhar 500 children and 750 adults participated in groups of 100-150; in Parara and Amroi about 240 persons collected in each camp. In Kupwara 140 children participated: they had been evacuated from their homes and were in camps set up by the Social welfare department. In the state capital Srinagar, camps were conducted every day, covering 300 children.
CHILD CARE
December 2005, Srinagar: the first IAHV-Art of Living Winter Shelter takes in 150 children who have lost their homes in the earthquake.
-By mid-January another 100 children are taken in on an emergency basis and a second Shelter opens.
-End February 2006, 120 children-in-need remain , and the Winter Shelters transform to Child Care Centres with separate boys and girls hostel and a school is established in hired premises.
-Currently AOL provides a warm and comfortable home, nutritious meals and education and recreation facilities to these children, accommodated in rented premises in Shivpora, Srinagar.
Testimonials
“Until we did the breath exercises my heart had not stopped pounding, not since the earthquake. Now at last I am at peace, I will tell my neighbours.” (Begum Azie, Shaalkot village, Baramullah, Kashmir, Oct. 20, 2005).
Ashfaq, aged 15 years: I used to feel that my brain has stopped working, there was no retention power left, now after the course I am feeling very fresh and I a thinking about the future.
Arshad Khan, aged 14, Gabra village: “Every morning I used to wake up with a jolt, my whole body used to ache and at night I used to be very scared of noises and I missed my mother who died in quake. Now I am feeling very relaxed and no longer afraid of noises.”
Ishfaq Ahmed (13 yrs) “ I used to be very depressed and I wanted was to die and there was severe pain in the knees now the pain is gone so have bad thoughts.”
“You called us down into the rice-fields, I thought it was for food…then we did the breathing exercise…There was a ghost in my mind since the earthquake, bhoot svar, now my mind is free.” Zarifa Banu
The Event
On 8th October 2005 an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale caused widespread destruction to vast areas of northern Pakistan and northern India. The earthquake has already taken the lives of over 75,000 people, even more than that have been seriously injured and over 3.5 million have been made homeless and face the risk of disease, hunger and exposure to freezing temperatures in the mountainous region as winter sets in.
Relief Camps
Relief Camps were set up immediately in the outskirts of Balakot and in the village of Bela. These had seen extreme devastation and the loss of a large majority of the local children, who perished when their school building collapsed on top of them.
Relief efforts initially focused on:
- Food and shelter for survivors - collecting and distributing tents, blankets, clothes, food, medicines and vaccines.
- Working in collaboration with other NGOs and the Army to get the water and electricity supplies restored.
- Setting up a medical camp.
- Conducting trauma relief programs for survivors
Since then, relief work and support has been ongoing including vaccinating children, supplying more clothes, conducting trauma relief courses and a longer-term strategy of rehabilitation of these devastated communities.
There is also an innovative initiative underway, focusing on rebuilding homes using eco-friendly material that stays warm in the bitter winters, is earthquake proof, easy to build, long-lasting and low-cost.
A local teacher in Bela has been trained to build these homes, and the first two ‘eco-dome’ homes have been built by him, that will act as a model for others to follow.
In response to the efforts by AoLF volunteers, villagers have commented that they felt that life was coming back into their community.
The Event
The United States witnessed one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit its shores in recent times in August 2005. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in Hurricane Katrina and in the subsequent floods, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee Hurricane. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 U.S. dollars) in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
Relief Camps
Over 400 people, including youth and children, were taught in the trauma relief workshops until the end of September 2005 in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Baton Rouge. In Austin, the initial
Workshops were conducted with Global Brotherhood of Light (GBL) Inc. Youth Ministries at the Austin Convention and Visitors Center with tremendous results.
The City of Austin came forward with their full support for the work of IAHV and AOLF, and recognized the need for trauma relief as a major part of the rehabilitation and relief operation for hurricane survivors.
AOLF and IAHV founder, - Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself visited the victims of the Hurricane.
Testimonials
*“I am more flexible, I can think clearly and am playing sports better.”
*“I sleep better, feel more energetic; I feel like a new person.”
*“Now I even find the convention center a more fun place to be.”
*“When I feel bad I just do what I did here, and I feel better.”
*“I feel less tense and less aggressive.”
"I've noticed that each day, after completing the program the kids are happier, less restless and their minds are so much more settled. I have personally experienced the benefits of the Art of Living techniques during this experience, and found it very helpful in clearing my mind." - Dr. Reginald Shaw, Director of GBL, Inc. Youth Ministries
"While charitable organizations have provided Hurricane Katrina victims with essentials, such as food, clothes and shelter, the Art of Living Foundation and the International Association for Human Values offered emotional support." - The Daily Texan.
The Event
On Sunday, December 26, 2004, an earthquake of magnitude 9.0 shook the western coast of Northern Sumatra. The earthquake spawned a series of tsunamis that traveled across the Indian Ocean from Indonesia to Africa’s Eastern Coast. The waves left in their wake an unprecedented natural catastrophe that led to extraordinary loss of life and economic damage. The earthquake and resulting tsunamis left over 30,974 dead, 4,698 missing and 553,287 displaced in Sri Lanka. (Source: Government of Sri Lanka, Center for National Operations, 2/1/0 5). One-third of those affected are believed to be children, many of whom have been orphaned.
The Trauma
After the tsunami, relief workers reported that many of the survivors found it difficult to sleep or even close their eyes. They were afraid to walk, especially after sunset, in these areas, in view of the large number of bodies that have been recovered.
The Relief Operations
Within three hours of the advent of the tsunami, more than 500 volunteers of the IAHV and AOLF began direct relief work in the worst affected areas of India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. IAHV volunteers from around the world have been supporting the direct relief efforts.
Relief Material
AOL has provided around 250 tons of relief supplies and 100,000 liters of drinking water to SriLanka. In coordination with the ASPIC Benevolent Foundation for Children, AOLF volunteers have been providing food, water, clothing and blankets to the affected children (including a children’s camp that houses over 5000 potentially orphaned children). Truckloads of basic amenities such as food and clothing, medicines and tents have been distributed in the following cities: Jaffna, Matara, Biblilama, Ahamsima, Kudalave, Kirinth, Thisha, Akurusha, Galle, Kalmunai, Karativu, Nintavur, Akkaraipattu, Palamunai, Samanturai, Sainthamaruthu, Kattanjudi, Batiicaloa, Trincomalee and Mutur.
In Tamil Nadu, India, over 35000 from 74 villages in Nagapattinam benefited from trauma relief programs within 6 months of the tsunami. AOLF was officially declared the head of trauma relief operations by the collectorate of Nagapattinam.
Medical Camps
A fully equipped team of over 45 doctors and paramedical practitioners have been conducting medical camps in Kirinth and Galle. In the weeks following the disaster, they have also been providing vaccines against water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and malaria, treating those with wound infections who did not seek immediate medical attention. On January 5, 2005, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the founder of IAHV and the Art of Living movement met with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, The Honorable Mahnida Rajpakse and discussed the modalities of immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation of the victims.
Trauma Relief Camps
IAHV has been conducting trauma relief camps and counseling sessions. So far 40 such camps have been conducted covering more than 18,000 people in the worst affect Amparai district. Camps were conducted in Kalmunai, Karativu, Nintavur, Akkaraipattu, Palamunai, Samanturai, Sainthamaruthu, Kattankudi and Batticaloa. Offered the Art of Living Trauma Relief Program to over 18,000 people including women and children across the Island. This includes health & hygiene programs and material relief for the tsunami displaced and internally displaced people ( IDP`s) due to the two decade old ethnic violence.
The Event
The 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known as 11-M, 3/11, 11/3 and M-11) were a series of coordinated bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people and wounded over 1700.
Trauma
Witnesses and victims were so traumatized, they could not even cry. Anger and vengeful tendencies were common while depression and shock in some cases were overwhelming.
Relief Camps
The AOLF conducted several free stress relief and trauma relief workshops in Madrid. Breathing techniques and other stress elimination techniques were taught to several 1000 people who were directly and indirectly affected by the terror attack.
Back to life in Madrid (extract from media report)
After the March 11th attack in Spain, the people are trying to enjoy life again. Sylvie Dunand, French therapist has organized free post traumatic stress release courses.
"I have seen people who could not cry, they where haunted by the images of the tragedy. Many had busted ear drums caused by the explosion." Sylvie Dunand lives in Madrid and is a volunteer of the Art of Living Foundation. In halls offered by hotels, she has organized free post traumatic stress release courses.
Breathing Life - Post traumatic stress release courses in Madrid (extract from media report)" My name is Marta. I lost my uncle on March 11th in the terrorist attacks. I have a lot of anger inside and want to get rid of it. I can't go on with my normal life."says this young woman in front of 20 people who are nodding in silence at her confession.
It is a group of housewives, students psychologists, designers. They come together because they have one thing in common: post traumatic stress, as a result of the terrorist attack in Madrid on March 11th. After her confession, which is only one of the painful stories that the bombs have left, Marta is ready to overcome the psychological symptoms which thousands of people, like herself, are suffering after the tragedy. She wants to get rid of the fear and the anxiety that she feels when she goes on a train, the depression caused by the lost of her uncle and her inability to sleep.
"The breathing techniques that we are teaching are helping the victims of 11-M to release their post traumatic stress" explains Sylvie Dunand, representing the Art of Living Foundation in Spain .
Breathing Therapy for the victims of March 11th (extract from media report)"It helped me to share my pain. I felt very comfortable during the course and could control my nightmares. "
“Some people come to repeat the course and bring their family members," says Sylvie Dunand. A woman who has just finished the course explained, that she could actually travel by train again, and even read a book while traveling, almost 2 months after the tragedy.
The Event
On January 26th 2001 one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale ripped through the western Indian state of Gujarat wiping out cities and causing almost 100,000 deaths. AOLF and IAHV volunteers have been active in the rehabilitation from day one till today. This is an example where the foundation’s disaster relief model has completed the full cycle and new communities have been built and a new way of life established.
Relief Camps:
- Provided relief materials including food, clothing, medicines and rehabilitation kits. - Built a high school, one hostel building and 15 temporary schools. - Provided post-trauma counseling and trauma relief workshops to over 100,000 people including children in 120 villages. - Adopted 1 village for complete rehabilitation. 124 earthquake resistant homes, a multi-purpose community center, primary health care center, village government center, a primary school and a place of worship, water tank, water supply system and drainage system were all built. Youth leaders were trained, and sustainable social development programs were implemented.
The Event
Two aircraft (United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11) crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower (WTC 1 and WTC 2). Both towers collapsed within two hours, followed by WTC 7 later that day.As well as the 19 hijackers, a confirmed 2,973 people died and another 24 are missing but presumed dead as a result of these attacks.
Trauma Relief Camps
AOLF and IAHV conducted several relief camps that have benefited over 1000 victims of the 9/11 attacks. The following articles from various newspapers give a clear picture of our activities post 9/11.
Testimonials and Articles
From Trauma Workshops to Food, Art of Living Volunteers Bring Relief.
“I will always remember how this city rallied around its firefighters during this tragedy," says Battalion 32 Fire Chief James Bossert in his letter to the Art of Living Foundation's New York chairman Noah Hoffeld. " But I will remember most of all the contribution of your group."
Within hours of the World Trade Center attacks, Hoffeld had gathered people who had taken the Art of Living Foundation's stress reduction programs in his neighborhood and went to work on setting up public trauma workshops - and on making hundreds of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which they brought to the firefighters that day.
"All the firefighters were using the Hooper Street station as a staging area," says Hoffeld. "When we showed up with our duffel bags filled with sandwiches, we saw hundreds of firefighters sitting on the curbs and on the closed off street, looking exhausted. In dealing so thoroughly with the disaster, they had not been able to get any food for their members."
Within a few days, other Art of Living Foundation volunteers from around the country came to help, and workshops to alleviate trauma and stress have since been offered to New Yorkers on an ongoing basis at no charge. To date over 1000 people participated in the free trauma relief programs.
America Back on Track Program
The Art of Living Foundation was invited to participate in "Back on Track America," a coalition aimed at getting businesses across America back on track in the post-September 11th business climate.
Working in concert with Back on Track America partners such as SBTV, America Online, Amtrak, and others, Art of Living Foundation's team of stress-management specialists took a ride to several cities across America, providing stress-management services to small businesses and their employees.
"Life is stressful for all of us these days, and a meditative practice not only helps people deal more effectively with stress and anxiety, it also aids mental clarity and focus - qualities that any business can appreciate. Art of Living Foundation was at the top of my list - I know their programs, I respect their credentials and experience in this area. I'm very pleased to have them as part of this coalition." --- Jane Applegate, CEO & Founder, SBTV.
The Event
On January 26th 2001 one of the deadliest earthquakes in the history, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale ripped through the western Indian state of Gujarat wiping out entire cities. As many as 20,000 people were reported dead. At least 150,000 more were reported injured. The quake destroyed 90 percent of the homes in Bhuj, several schools, and flattened the hospital. Considerable damage occurred also at Bhachau. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat's commercial capital and a city of 4.5 million, as many as 50 multistory buildings collapsed and several hundred people were killed. Total property damage was estimated at $5.5 billion and rising.
Relief Efforts
Extensive relief work was handled by AOLF and IAHV in many affected areas. Some of the key relief provided include:
Relief materials including food, clothing, medicines and rehabilitation kits.
Built a high school, one hostel building and 15 temporary schools.
Provided post-trauma counseling and trauma relief workshops to over 100,000 peopleincluding children in 120 villages.
Adopted 1 village for complete rehabilitation.
124 earthquake resistant homes, a multi-purpose community center, primary health care center, village government center, a primary school and a place of worship, water tank, water supply system and drainage system were all built. Youth leaders were trained, and sustainable social development programs were implemented.
Other Disasters where AOLF and IAHV have played a significant role in relief operations:
Mumbai Floods, 2005
London subway Blast, 2005
Beslan Terror Attack, Russia, 2004