MormonNewsroom.org features stories from its 80 international Newsroom websites as well as those from around the United States to share what members and leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.
Philippines: Latter-day Saints Distribute 6,500 Food Kits to Flooded Areas
Typhoons Inday and Josie caused a lot of flooding in parts of the Philippines in July. Many homes were flooded.
Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints repacked 4,500 food kits provided by LDS Charities (LDSC) to help residents. The food assistance provided to the affected families have helped flood victims through the critical days following the storm and widespread flooding.
The Philippines Newsroom website provides additional details about this story.
Bolivia: Latter-day Saints Bring Comfort and Warmth to Bolivians
Bolivia has unique weather challenges as people live in three climates, including tropical, valley and high plain areas.
Taking that into consideration, Latter-day Saints donated 3,000 blankets and more than 300 mattresses to give comfort and warmth in times of need. Elder Juan Carlos Pozo, a local Church leader, assured residents that The Church of Jesus Christ is always there to help when needed. “We seek to do what the Savior taught us, to look after those who have less.”
You can read more about the donation on the Bolivia Newsroom website (Spanish).
Kenya: Church Partners With Community Leaders in Cleanup
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nairobi reached out to county officials in a partnership of service to clean the community.
The county responded and furnished tools, gloves, wheelbarrows and a dump truck. Mormon Helping Hands volunteers went to work rehabilitating a park and made the area a cleaner, healthier and more attractive place to live.
Go to the Kenya Newsroom website to read more about the project.
Pacific: Young Volunteers Build House for Homeless Family in Tonga
A group of teenagers recently travelled thousands of miles to build a house for a homeless family in Tonga. Many of the volunteers are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The volunteers are part of the HEFY initiative that provides opportunities for young people to engage in humanitarian service in many parts of the world.
Go to the Pacific Newsroom website to read what a Latter-day Saint leader said.
Dominican Republic: Church Partnership With Orthopedic Innovation Provides Prostheses
A partnership between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Orthopedic Innovation has provided hundreds of people in the Dominican Republic with the ability to be more mobile.
Dr. Carlos Freddy Gutiérrez, director of Orthopedic Innovation, said he was grateful for the relationship with the Church for more than 10 years, helping hundreds of people to have their prostheses.
Read more about the donation on the Dominican Republic Newsroom website (Spanish).
Pacific: Need More Picnics
During an interfaith event in a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Wellington, New Zealand, advice was passed along by a Church missionary concerning religious tensions in the world. The source was the Dalai Lama and his solution was to have more picnics.
Acting on that thought from the Dalai Lama, Elder Alan Thacker remarked, “That is what we are doing this evening. We are sitting across from each other at tables enjoying a picnic. We are getting to know each other and sharing what we have in common.”
You can read more about the event on the Pacific Newsroom website.