Providing Refugee Relief

LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, continues to provide relief in areas where various crises have left many in desperate circumstances. Here are three examples:

• Conflict in Ukraine has displaced a million people since 2014. Sixty percent of the displaced are elderly. LDS Charities reached out to the United Nations Development Program to join a coordinated effort with local non-governmental organizations caring for the displaced poor and elderly. LDS Charities provided hygiene supplies, sanitation kits, and 3 months’ worth of food to 37 facilities that will serve 13,000 people.

• Since January, more than 350,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Syria have sought asylum in Europe, a number expected to double by year-end. LDS Charities is partnering with international non-governmental organizations, local municipalities, and national government agencies to meet needs of refugees and is providing resources for local Church congregations to use in their response efforts.

• To help provide better shelter in refugee camps throughout the world, LDS Charities is participating in a United Nations High Commission for Refugees project. An international furniture retailer has designed a structure that has advantages compared to tents. The structure includes doors and windows for increased security and a more solid roof covering to protect occupants from the elements. Assembly is under way for 333 housing units that LDS Charities has provided to a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan.