From Disaster to Hope
For Rishiram Gautam, a Volunteer Minister from Nepal, helping others rise again has become his life’s calling.
Born in Nuwakot, Nepal, Rishiram Gautam grew up in a middle-class family that valued education and perseverance. After completing his studies in management and sociology, he began helping his family run a small grocery shop. But behind the shop counter, his heart was already elsewhere—focused on helping those left behind by tragedy.
“I started an orphanage home with 25 beautiful children who lost their parents during the civil war,” he says, referring to the conflict that rocked Nepal from 1996 to 2006. “I am still operating that project today with 28 children in Katmandu. Most of them are in high school, and the rest are studying in school.”
Each child’s progress reminded him that, with the right support, lives can be rebuilt.
Still, he wanted to do more—something that could reach beyond one home or one neighborhood. That opportunity came in 2011, when he attended a Volunteer Minister seminar in Katmandu.
“I took part in that seminar and enjoyed it,” he recalls. “Then I started the VM courses, and before long I had finished all 19. That’s when my journey as a VM began.”
For Gautam, these courses became a turning point. “I began teaching VM courses to thousands of people and training students and teachers in Study Technology.”
He soon discovered the power of practical knowledge—how simple tools could change entire communities. “When people learn these tools, they gain the ability to solve their own problems,” he says. “They don’t just survive; they start to thrive.”
That philosophy guided him through some of the toughest situations imaginable. When floods struck Pokhara in 2013, Gautam was there, helping rescue stranded families and distributing supplies. In 2015, when a massive earthquake shook Nepal, he again joined forces with local and international volunteers.
“It was an amazing project as I gained a lot of knowledge in disaster response,” he says. “That experience taught me what it means to serve people when they’ve lost everything.”
Since then, he has brought that same compassion and skill to crisis zones across South Asia—including India, Sri Lanka and multiple programs in Bangladesh and Nepal.
“This year, I completed two disaster response programs in Nepal,” he says. “The first was in Solukhumbu and the second in Rasuwa, where we responded to floods.”
But for Gautam, service doesn’t stop when the emergency ends. Through his Volunteer Ministers Course Campaign across Nepal, he now focuses on training youth, Scouts and social groups in the same tools that once changed his own life.
“When people learn these tools, they gain the ability to solve their own problems. They don’t just survive; they start to thrive.”
“I have made more than 15 partnership agreements with like-minded people and organizations who want to work with us.”
His efforts have gained attention in local media in both Nepal and Bangladesh, helping to spread the message of the Scientology Volunteer Minister Program and its free online courses.
“We will continue to conduct VM online training courses in major cities,” he says. “It is very significant for the Nepalese community.”
From caring for orphans to rebuilding homes and from training teachers to inspiring youth, Gautam’s story is proof that one person’s drive can ripple outward to change thousands of lives.
“My passion is to help those in need and make Nepal a nation of people not only dedicated to helping each other, but with the tools to do so effectively.”
Watch the VM response to the 2015 Nepal earthquake at Scientology.TV/BSharma.
GIVE WHERE IT COUNTS
The Volunteer Ministers bring indiscriminate help to all corners of the world. Your donation plays a critical role in bringing relief to those in desperate circumstances, where every second counts and every contribution matters. Together we will make a lasting difference in the lives of others, showing them that “Something Can Be Done About It.”
