MormonNewsroom.org features stories from its international Newsroom websites to share what leaders and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around the world are doing to better the communities in which they live.
India: Miracle of the Blankets in Nepal
People of Nepal, devastated by the April 2015 earthquake and living in makeshift shelters, are suffering from the wintertime weather.
Desiring to help bring warmth to the people, Elder and Sister Oliphant, humanitarian missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, found a way to provide 10,000 wool blankets. Their efforts were not without difficult challenges.
Read more about how they overcame the challenges on the India Mormon Newsroom website.
Italy: Mormon Helping Hands Assisting Refugees
Hygiene kits and other supplies have been prepared and distributed to the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome to help refugees who are looking for a new home. Latter-day Saints, young and old, as well as people of other faiths, worked side by side packing boxes of basic essentials.
The Church’s Mormon Helping Hands program is designed to help people in need regardless of their beliefs. It is also an opportunity for all Latter-day Saints to help their neighbors even if they don’t know them.
Watch this video to learn more about this Mormon Helping Hands project in Italy: Mormon Helping Hands - Realizzazione Kit Igienici, and read more about the project on the Italy Mormon Newsroom website (Italian).
Brazil: Flood Victims Get Mormon Helping Hands
Victims of flooding in January in the central Brazilian city of Goiania were helped recently by Mormon Helping Hands volunteers. About 700 families were left homeless after the flood.
In less than a week, Latter-day Saints assembled food, hygiene kits and cleaning products and collected 5,000 pieces of clothing.
Go to the Brazil Mormon Newsroom website (Portuguese) for additional information.
Ghana: LDS Charities and Ghana Health Service Partner for Trauma Training
LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, funded training on trauma procedures in a joint effort with the Ghana Health Service. The training was held at Tema General Hospital in Tema, Ghana.
American physician Dr. Tom Wood said, “They [the medical personnel] are so intelligent and capable, and we have endorsed that and that has helped their confidence.” He commented on how a lack of human and physical resources is hampering local physicians in applying what they know.
Read the complete story on the Ghana Mormon Newsroom website.
Papua New Guinea: Latter-day Saint Youth
Promote Immunization Awareness
Latter-day Saint youth, excited to spread the word about good health practices, spent a recent Saturday distributing pamphlets on immunization awareness.
Under the theme “Fully Immunize and Protect the Next Generation,” the main objective of the activity was to educate parents about the importance of immunizing their children against measles.
Go to the Papua New Guinea Mormon Newsroom website — the newest Newsroom website in the Church.
Costa Rica: More Than 250 Mormon Helping Hands Give of Their Time and Talents
Mormon Helping Hands, in cooperation with local community leaders, went to work recently not only helping to improve the physical look of parks and buildings but also giving of their time to visit and entertain children and people in a nursing home.
For nearly 10 hours Mormon Helping Hands volunteers of all ages worked on several projects including assisting in the renovation of the Red Cross office, playing games with children at the Home Doña Melva in nearby San Juan de Tibás, and cleaning benches in a park.
See what else volunteers did by reading the story on the Costa Rica Mormon Newsroom website (Spanish).
Cambodia: Interfaith Harmony Goals Set at World Meeting
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated with religious leaders for the Celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week 2016 in early February.
The meeting focused on three objectives: celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week 2016, strengthen interfaith harmony in Cambodia and enhance interfaith cooperation on social development.
Read more about the meeting on the Cambodia Mormon Newsroom website.
Canada: Mormon Newsroom Article Introduces Ontario Man to Future Wife
The Church’s Mormon Newsroom website in Canada became the catalyst for a marriage. Alex del Mundo was a missionary serving in the Philippines when he saw a picture of Ariana Limas in a Newsroom article. The story was how Ariana was preparing for her mission, which she served in Missouri.
Once home from his two-year mission, Alex looked Ariana up, and eight months after they formally met, the two were married in the Church’s Toronto Ontario Temple.
Go to the Canada Mormon Newsroom website to learn more about their story.