Latter-day Saint Charities, the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is partnering with several humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering in Sudan.
In 2020, Sudan experienced its worst flooding in over a century. Thousands of homes were destroyed or badly damaged, leading to the migration of thousands of people into temporary shelters.
In addition, tens of thousands of refugees fleeing conflict in neighboring countries have arrived in Sudan with only the items they can carry.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
Latter-day Saint Charities has partnered with several organizations including Rahma Worldwide, Elevate for Community Development, Mercy Corps, MedGlobal, CARE International, UNICEF and other nongovernmental organizations to address their needs and provide aid.
Together, Rahma Worldwide and Latter-day Saint Charities are providing much-needed support to Ethiopian refugees in Sudan, by distributing food baskets, blankets, mattresses, protective floor coverings and insect repellent.
In refugee camps, Latter-day Saint Charities is working with UNICEF to supply new arrivals with water, hygiene supplies and “school in a box” kits to assure that children continue to learn.
Mercy Corps and Latter-day Saint Charities provided hygiene kits to flooded-impacted villages. The kits contained soap, water cans, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, hygiene items and water purification tablets.
“Through the Latter-day Saint Charities funding, vulnerable households will be able to replenish some of the most needed household and personal hygiene items that have been destroyed during the recent flooding,” says Lulzim Morina, Mercy Corps Sudan director of programs. “This support is critical for families to be able to meet their basic needs.”
Enabling communities to revitalize clean-water supplies, CARE and Latter-day Saint Charities are supplying hand pumps and seasonal reservoirs. Farmers receive seeds and tools to reestablish their farms and enable them to provide food for themselves and others.
Elevate for Community Development, the Christian Sudan Church Council and Latter-day Saint Charities are cooperating to assist families in developing their own businesses by providing sewing machines to help them create and market specially tailored items. Other families are receiving equipment and supplies to produce pasta or peanut butter.
Mohamed Dahab, director of Elevate for Community Development, recognizes the importance of people of all backgrounds standing together to relieve suffering: “In an increasingly fractured world, this partnership between distinctive peoples is tangible proof that humanity and the spirit of brotherhood know no bounds and recognize no borders.”
These humanitarian projects are only part of the work of Latter-day Saint Charities in Sudan. These efforts have increased after the February 2020 visit of Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. During that visit, Elder Bednar met with many public officials and explored ways that the Church could help the Sudanese people. This collaboration was further strengthened in May 2021 when several high-ranking government officials from Sudan visited Church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.