Humanitarian Efforts Provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Asia North Area, 2019

The Welfare and Self-Reliance Department office recently reported results of humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Asia North Area. The area manager, Darwin Halvorson, reported that his staff of six welfare managers, working with three senior missionary couples, were able to collaborate with 45 organizations, including governments, schools, hospitals, non-profit humanitarian organizations, churches, and others to help needy individuals and families. Many projects were funded or administrated through Latter-day Saint Charities or Deseret International Charities. Halvorson estimates that over 146,000 individuals were assisted at a cost of about $9.23 per individual.

The Church provided funding and volunteers for natural disaster relief and to help resolve social issues, including childcare, education, domestic violence, poverty, heath care facilities, and education, as well as care of the handicapped, elderly, and refugees. Other projects addressed environmental issues, such as air pollution, clean water, and bridge repair to allow for natural water drainage.

In Guam, one project helped 31 special needs children. Church representatives were contacted by the Kosrae Special Needs Parent Network. The schools in Kosrae, a beautiful island state with a population of 5000, was lacking the necessary supplies to help the children with special needs. The school had few and dated reading books. Through humanitarian funding, the Church was able to provide books, kinetic toys, and musical instruments. The leaders of Kosrae were so impressed that the Lt. Governor, a Senator, and the Vice President of the Federal State of Micronesia all attended the receiving ceremony. This small donation helped in big ways, aiding the parent’s association in meeting its goal of helping the children achieve their personal best.

The Chuuk Women's Council partnered with the Church, Catholic Relief Services and others, to provide a health fair on Chuuk dedicated to preventing diabetes. Over 300 people attended the health fair, where booths were set up to conduct blood sugar testing, oral examinations and even cooking demonstrations to show them how to eat healthier. Diabetes is prevalent in Micronesia due to changed eating habits and a lack of physical activity. Many individuals were diagnosed with various stages of diabetes and given guidance on how to limit the impact of diabetes, and in some cases even reverse the disease. The goal of the workshop was to empower the women of Chuuk by educating them about diet, lifestyle, and home making.

Food production was a common theme with projects in several countries. On Kosrae, most food is brought in by ship and is very expensive. The Lelu Farmers Association partnered with the Church to build 10 greenhouses for individual families. A senior missionary couple helped in their construction. Growing beds were built on elevated stands and covered to protect them from too much rain and from coconut crabs, which eat the roots of the young vegetable plants. Families with the greenhouses have been able to produce enough tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cabbage, and other vegetables for themselves and often a surplus to sell, which benefits their neighbors and helps supply the family with healthy food and income. This project has been so successful that the Asia North Area Presidency has approved the building of an additional 20 greenhouses in 2020.

In Mongolia, food storage and preservation are also a serious problem. Until recently, the Mongolian diet was meat dominated. Due to climate changes, many Mongolian nomads have been forced to move into Ulaanbaatar. This has necessitated an increased need for vegetables in the diet.

Unfortunately, due to the short growing season and the limited amount of farming done in Mongolia historically, vegetables are only available for a short time each year. Seeds are planted at the same time throughout the country, and all mature at the same time. After harvest, a glut of supply in the market results in low prices. Due to a lack of food preservation and storage facilities, supplies quickly rot and vegetables are unavailable during winter months.

Deseret International Charities has joined up with Dr. Brad Taylor at Brigham Young University to help identify possible solutions to the problem. In August 2019, a group of 12 Mongolian delegates, including government and business leaders, went to BYU to learn more. They were taken on tours of Welfare Square in Salt Lake City, and farms in Idaho and Utah to learn more about food harvest, preservation, and storage. The delegates were very impressed and grateful for what they learned. Dr. Taylor plans to return to Mongolia this spring. The delegates have had their eyes opened to the possibilities of having more vegetables available for a longer time period each year, and how it can benefit Mongolia.

Assistance was provided for disaster relief efforts in Saipan, Japan, and Korea. Latter-day Saint Charities provided over $1,00,000 for relief from Typhoon Yutu destruction on Saipan and Tinian. Two typhoons hit the main island of Honshu last year in Japan, Faxia and Hagibis. Funding was donated to buy supplies. Over 2800 man-hours were donated by Church members helping clean up after the storms that left 80,000 homeless. The Church also cooperated with ADRA, the humanitarian arm of the Adventist Church to help flood victims in Mihara.

Cooperating with JVOAD, a non-profit organization in Japan that administers volunteer efforts during natural disasters, a unique project was initiated to assist earthquake victims in Hokkaido. Local Church leaders contacted many volunteers to assist victims. In addition to providing necessary supplies, they performed foot massages for victims living for extended periods in temporary shelters. This gave the victims a chance to talk and share their feelings and helped them cope during a trying period in their lives.

A wildfire in the Gwangwon Province of Korea also left many stranded from their homes. Church members loaded a truck with donated food, bedding and clothing and delivered it to the relief center in Sokcho. Gwangju, Gyeonggi, Seoul, and Seoul West Stakes combined efforts to prepare kimchi and side dishes to distribute to the needy. The Jeonju Stake provided coal briquettes to the elderly and other vulnerable groups.

These are just a few examples of how members of the Church reached out to help those in need in the Asia North Area. Most of the donations were received through kind donations to the Humanitarian Fund, a few dollars at a time.

President Russell M. Nelson spoke about the Church’s humanitarian efforts world-wide during the October 2019 General Conference. Describing three examples of service provided in New Zealand, Argentina, and China, he described how deeply he was touched by their words and deeds. “Latter-day Saints, as with other followers of Jesus Christ, are always looking for ways to help, to lift, and to love others. They who are willing to be called the Lord’s people ‘are willing to bear one another’s burdens, … to mourn with those that mourn, … and [to] comfort those that stand in need of comfort.’ They truly seek to live the first and second great commandments. When we love God with all our hearts, He turns our hearts to the well-being of others in a beautiful, virtuous cycle.”

(Click here to view President Nelson’s talk: www.churchofjesuschirst.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/46nelson?lang=eng).

World-wide, The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints has provided over two billion U.S. dollars since 1984 to aid and assist those in need, regardless of church affiliation, nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, or political persuasion.