Mormon Humanitarian Missionaries

Mormon Humanitarian Missionaries

The Mormon Church considers humanitarian work to be an essential part of its mission to bless all humanity in emulation of Jesus Christ “who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed” (Acts10:38). Throughout its history, the Church has always provided for those in need, but the first permanent humanitarian organization of the Mormon Church was created in 1955 at Brigham Young University.  In the early years of the Church after its founding in 1830, little organized, systematic humanitarian work was attempted due to the impoverishments of the early members and continuous persecution.  In 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Women’s Relief Society, an essential aim of which was to provide “relief” to suffering members and ultimately to all people.  The Relief Society continues to fulfill this mission today, though the Mormon Church has expanded its humanitarian efforts and organized welfare, disaster relief, educational support, and sustained growth development programs under the heading of the LDS Philanthropies.  All of these initiatives, as well as support and advice on personal and community preparation for disasters can be found on the Church’s Provident Living website.

LDS Philanthropies, formally called LDS Charities, includes more than just Humanitarian Services.  It also includes scholarship programs, employment services and so forth.  Money and in-kind items can be donated to the Humanitarian General Fund where the money or supplies are then given to an area that is in need.

Emergency Response is the part of the LDS Church’s humanitarian efforts that most people are aware of. Funds and supplies in this area are used to help victims of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, tornados, and hurricanes, as well as other disasters such as wars or political unrest. Supplies in this area are gathered and stored before a crisis, so supplies can be sent literally within hours of an emergency. Volunteers are also on call, so if they are needed they can be reached and organized within a few hours.

Wheelchair Distribution is also crucial to helping those in need. Studies estimate that only one percent of the disabled in the world have wheelchairs. For the rest, being without a wheelchair means for adults that they can not provide for themselves or their families, and for children it often means not being able to attend school. By providing wheelchairs to those in need, the Mormon Church is able to give the gift of self-reliance and education.

The Clean Water service provides clean water and wells to people who otherwise would most likely contract deadly diseases because of the dirty water. Studies estimate that nearly 3 million people, mostly children, die each year from diseases related to unsanitary water.

The Neonatal Resuscitation program sends doctors and volunteers to areas where infant mortality rate is high. They are able to teach people in the area how to resuscitate newborns as well as to provide simple medical equipment. This service is greatly needed, as it is estimated that 120 million newborns each year suffer from asphyxia during birth. Nearly 90,000 of these infants die, because those who care for them do not know how to resuscitate them.

The Vision Treatment Training program teaches facilities and medical personnel in developing countries how to treat preventable or reversible blindness. There are 45 million people in the world who are blind, and in developing countries being blind often means poverty. So this program helps reduce this problem.

The Church also provides measles vaccinations to impoverished nations, and participates in other medically-oriented programs.

In addition to these efforts, the Mormon Church also has job development and placement programs in many countries.  In 2001, the Church began the Perpetual Education Fund which provides money to cover tuition and other school expenses to people in developing nations.  So far this program has operated primarily in South America and Oceanea.  The Church Welfare program owns farms, ranches, canneries, and other food producing facilities to provide temporary food relief for families and individuals.

All of these initiatives require manpower, and while there are some fulltime employees in administrative and clerical functions, there are also thousands of volunteer humanitarian missionaries.  In emergency situations, local members and full-time missionaries, who would normally devote their time to proselyting, participate in relief efforts, but for many of these more permanent initiatives the Church uses Senior Missionary couples.

These couples are retired members of the Mormon Church who devote six months to two years of their time to go anywhere in the world, typically at their own expense, to participate in these projects.  This allows the Church to devote more funds directly to helping the needy.  These missionaries often serve in activities related to their former profession.  Doctors and nurses will serve medical missions either in the Neonatal Resuscitation programs or special missions to countries in need of dentists, eye doctors, surgeons and so forth.  People with agricultural or engineering backgrounds will serve on the clean water initiative or else help farmers in developing countries.

Other members who are still working and raising families frequently donate time, money, and in-kind donations to help in these ventures.  Members can volunteer at local canneries and farms to help produce food for the needy.  They can volunteer to create the medical kits needed for doctors and new mothers in developing nations, and many help make quilts for needy families.  Many of these local initiatives are organized by the Relief Society.  This great volunteer force allows the Mormon Church to cut down on operating expenses and bless more people with what resources they have.  The Church also frequently cooperates with other charities such as the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and many Islamic charities.