40 Ways to Help Refugees

Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News associate editor

  • 28 March 2016

A Church member invites a Bhutanese refugee family over for dinner.

Ways to help refugees was part of an address Sharon Eubank, director of LDS Charities, delivered on Temple Square last year.

Humanitarian acts “rooted in a desire to listen, to heal, to cooperate, to respect are as potent a transformational agent for change as anything on the earth,” said the humanitarian leader while offering a Pioneers in Every Land lecture in the Assembly Hall on May 14, 2015.

Change and impact, she said, come through relationships.

“If you are filled with desires to help but don’t know exactly what to do, let me share a place to start,” said Eubank. “Try the suggestions below, and you will be directed onward to something more specific by the Holy Ghost.”

  1. Be a sincere friend.
  2. Reach out to people on the periphery.
  3. Take a stand against intolerance.
  4. Promote compassion and understanding.
  5. Make a visit.
  6. Get to know firsthand what is really needed; don’t assume.
  7. Learn about the food, holidays, and traditions of others.
  8. Share a meal.
  9. Celebrate a holiday together.
  10. Invite someone to join your family night.
  11. Teach a new skill.
  12. Learn a new skill.
  13. Make introductions.
  14. Ask questions.
  15. Exchange ideas and experiences.
  16. Highlight strengths in other cultures.
  17. Speak to your town council about needed services.
  18. Forgive offenses or misunderstandings and try again.
  19. Shop at locally owned businesses.
  20. Welcome new people to the neighborhood.
  21. Volunteer to teach a language.
  22. Defend others from bigotry.
  23. Learn kids’ names.
  24. Learn a sport.
  25. Teach a sport.
  26. Offer employment to someone unexpected.
  27. Visit people who are ill.
  28. Teach each other songs and jokes.
  29. Extend an invitation to a cultural event.
  30. Offer to babysit.
  31. Give a ride.
  32. Practice interviewing for a job.
  33. Donate household goods.
  34. Help children study.
  35. Act as a grandma or grandpa to someone whose family is far away.
  36. Volunteer with a local organization whose work you admire.
  37. Be a mentor.
  38. Find local solutions rather than relying on bureaucratic programs or funds.
  39. Recognize that time and relationships are more valuable than things.
  40. Don’t hesitate to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
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