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
