Tuesday 18 June, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Church of Scientology International
Mr. Pascal Cottier
mediarelationsdir@scientology.net
Phone: (323) 960-3500
SCIENTOLOGY VOLUNTEER MINISTERS GOODWILL TOUR
Freedom Magazine Features Heart-Warming Scientology Volunteer Ministers
Story of Two American Sisters: “A Legacy of Help in South Asia”
The story begins, "Volunteer Ministers rushed to aid survivors of the south Asian tsunami. Freedom tracked the experiences of five whose help continues in a myriad of ways." It covers Scientology Volunteer Ministers, Alissa Sears and her sister Sarah and how in 2003, while a student at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), Alissa Sears heard from a friend how decades of brutal civil war had decimated Sri Lanka. The friend, a native Sri Lankan who fled the island nation with her family, also told Sears that one of the consequences of the conflict was more than 60,000 orphans—each needing education and care.
It states how Sears was stunned at the magnitude of need—and this spurred her to act. The next time she saw her friend, Sears announced she was going to Sri Lanka to help.
The story continues with Alissa’s first journey to Sri Lanka, where she found that the long years of civil strife had isolated communities to such an extent that schools lacked qualified teachers, with untrained local volunteers frequently filling the gap. The result was widespread illiteracy and a breeding ground for discontent, criminality and more conflict.
Alissa reported, "I visited orphanages and refugee camps, schools and universities, and cities and towns on both sides of the war and what I learned was that people had pretty much given up on the idea that things could get better," she said. "One of my goals was to change that and the first objective was to help establish better schooling for the kids."
The article goes on to show how she connected with teachers from three schools, four universities and eight orphanages, helping them to improve education standards. "We brought interactive teaching and learning methods," Sears said, "focusing on communication between students and teachers, getting students involved, and, most importantly, allowing them to find a purpose in their education."
Finally the story tells of the difference Alissa, her sister and other volunteers made in the areas ravaged by the tsunami, including what the Mayor of Galle, Sri Lanka had to say, "I especially thank the Scientology Volunteer Ministers for giving us this courage."
For the whole story of this selfless young lady who really made a difference see:
http://www.freedommag.org/english/vol38i/page32.htm
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