What It Is

Note: To allow for maximum flexibility in responding to emergencies, donations to Humanitarian Services are generally not earmarked for specific projects but are distributed where the need is greatest.

Humanitarian Services helps families become self-reliant by promoting health and disease prevention where health care resources and education are lacking, by helping with employment and job training, and by responding to urgent needs brought on by natural disasters.

When a disaster occurs, Humanitarian Services, including LDS Charities, sends food, clothing, medical supplies, and other emergency relief assistance to help victims with urgent needs. Advance planning, extensive storage of essential items, and an extensive worldwide network of volunteers, allow a swift response when disaster strikes. These volunteers, working cooperatively with other relief agencies, help ensure that 100 percent of all donations are distributed directly to those in need.

Why It Is a Priority

In developing nations, where poverty and poor living conditions place a great burden on families, disease can be devastating economically and emotionally as well as physically. When proper medical facilities are lacking, diseases that are preventable and treatable can result in death. Families who practice simple health and sanitation methods can avoid many diseases and unnecessary suffering.

Every year, millions of men, women, and children are impacted by wars, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters. In these desperate times, life-sustaining resources are often the difference between life and death.

What It Does and How It Helps

Through generous donations of money and emergency supplies from Latter-day Saints and other caring individuals, as well as from corporations and foundations, Humanitarian Services is able to respond in a timely way to urgent and ongoing requests for help from countries around the world. Corporate and individual donations of clothes, medical supplies and equipment, schoolbooks (K-6) and other educational supplies, and emergency relief items are gathered in advance and prepared for shipping on short notice. Cash donations help purchase items that are in short supply. Extensive storage and inventory capabilities allow for handling and distributing of many tons of disaster relief supplies each year.

Other initiatives include providing potable water sources, training for medical staff, help for homeless children, and public health education.

We provide help to people of all faiths and nationalities, as well as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In an address to the National Press Club, President Gordon B. Hinckley said: "We...are trying to reach out to those who find themselves in terrible trouble because of war, earthquake, flood, drought, and other disasters. Human suffering anywhere and among any people is a matter of urgent concern for us." (Ensign, June 2000, 73).