On a visit to Salt Lake City, the first ladies of Peru and Paraguay saw firsthand The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ humanitarian and welfare programs.
Pilar Nores de García, first lady of Peru, and Maria Gloria Penayo de Duarte, first lady of Paraguay, visited Welfare Square and the Humanitarian Center, at the same time sharing with Church officials their efforts to help the people in their respective countries.
The Peruvian first lady outlined to Church leaders and to faculty and students at Brigham Young University (BYU) her humanitarian program “Sembrando,” which assists the poorest of the poor in Peru’s higher-elevation areas. While Mrs. García was in Utah, the Church told her that it would be providing her country with 1,000 wheelchairs and 50 tons of Atmit — a food supplement to combat malnutrition and starvation.
Mrs. Duarte and representatives from Paraguay personally assembled 48 cases of hygiene kits — kits sent to disaster areas —containing items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap and a washcloth. Arrangements were also made for the Church to continue providing assistance and outreach through Mrs. Duarte’s foundation in Paraguay. Last year, in cooperation with the Church, the first lady’s foundation “REPADEH” distributed approximately 2,000 wheelchairs.