2009
Colombia Aid Blesses Many
September 2009


“Colombia Aid Blesses Many,” Ensign, Sept. 2009, 80

Colombia Aid Blesses Many

The Church teamed up with government officials in the city of Neiva, Colombia, to help those in the nearby town of La Plata who were affected by rainy season storms.

In La Plata, the Church and government representatives distributed clothing for men, women, and children; 300 light mattresses and blankets; and other supplies to those left homeless by the powerful seasonal gales.

In addition to providing aid for those affected by the storms, representatives of Church welfare in the South America Northwest Area have worked closely over the past few months with the mayor of Neiva, the capital of the department of Huila, to distribute nearly two dozen wheelchairs to elderly citizens and disabled youth, provide reading glasses to some of the 4,000 elderly residents most in need, and deliver more than 140 bicycles to children living in rural areas who must travel significant distances to attend school.

Welfare manager José Luis Cárdenas and the first lady of Neiva, Sara Peralta (far right), inspect bicycles donated by the Church to help children in rural areas of this part of Colombia get to school.

Photograph by S. Cristobal Garcia Adum