On Monday, 16 October 2023, World Food Day marked the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. This year, the theme was “Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave No One Behind.” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added to this day by looking back to what humanitarian efforts it has implemented throughout Europe this past year.
In May, local Church member and schoolteacher Bedri Mokreri and humanitarian missionaries coordinated efforts with the local district of Proptisht in Albania to provide a new water distribution system to the area secondary school which also acts as the community centre.
In addition to helping dig trenches for the new pipes, the Church worked with the municipality in upgrading the water and hygiene facilities for the community and school of Proptisht where the old toilet facility has become inadequate and partially dysfunctional. The humanitarian missionaries also worked with social development initiatives to ensure legal requirements were met and all funds went for their intended purposes. Proptisht’s deputy mayor was very appreciative of donations by the Church to help the remote villages.
World-Food-Day
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is constantly continuing to extend its humanitarian reach along with other global efforts. 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.As part of the continuous efforts after the disastrous earthquake in Türkiye earlier this year, the provision of clean drinking water for the affected areas has been of high priority. Shortly after the earthquake, the government, international non-governmental organisations, and private donors provided clean drinking water. However, the massive destruction to the infrastructure was so great that the government could not replace broken water lines quickly enough to provide the necessary quantity of clean drinking water.
The Church, in collaboration with the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), secured and delivered more than five million 1.5-litre bottles of water to the affected people. This resulted in more than 290 semi-truck loads over the course of the first two months. Life essentials bless those in critical need so that no one is left behind. Bottled water was the immediate answer to address the catastrophic number of individuals left homeless, and without food or water. Learn more about the humanitarian contributions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints following the earthquake in Türkiye here.
Working with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Asociación Hogar El Buen Samaritano (Association of the Good Samaritan House), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints assists with providing healthy food and hygiene assistance for these homeless refugees and immigrants in Cartagena in Spain. It is an on-going challenge for the Spanish government and non-governmental organisations to address the needs of these people as they try to enter Spanish society. This NGO aids these people by providing essential food, often feeding malnourished children. It also helps with employment skills and seeking job opportunities, and language and training courses. Currently, the NGO provides a weeks’ worth of food for approximately 250 people on a weekly basis, including Ukrainian refugees. Its efforts are strongly supported by the leadership and local members of the Church in Cartagena.
In Serbia, the Church has been working with the Ana and Vlade DIVAC Foundation to provide greenhouse projects and trainings to local families to extend their growing season and raise gardens to feed their families for longer. Most of the people, particularly in southern Serbia, live off the land that their fathers and grandfathers owned. Because agriculture is their way of life, the greenhouses allow them more food security. The excess produce can also be sold to generate additional income. These greenhouses are truly life-changing for the Serbians. The Church is excited to be a part of these efforts with the celebration of its first of three greenhouses in Serbia this year with the hope of many more to come.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is constantly continuing to extend its humanitarian reach along with other global efforts. You can learn more about what the Church has done globally in the past year by watching the October 2023 World Report.