2015
Providing Refugee Relief
November 2015


“Providing Refugee Relief,” Ensign, November 2015, 142

Providing Refugee Relief

LDS Charities, the humanitarian arm of the Church, continues to provide relief in areas where various crises have left many in desperate circumstances. Here are three examples:

  • Conflict in Ukraine has displaced a million people since 2014. Sixty percent of the displaced are elderly. LDS Charities reached out to the United Nations Development Program to join a coordinated effort with local non-governmental organizations caring for the displaced poor and elderly. LDS Charities provided hygiene supplies, sanitation kits, and 3 months’ worth of food to 37 facilities that will serve 13,000 people.

  • Since January, more than 350,000 refugees fleeing civil war in Syria have sought asylum in Europe, a number expected to double by year-end. LDS Charities is partnering with international non-governmental organizations, local municipalities, and national government agencies to meet needs of refugees and is providing resources for local Church congregations to use in their response efforts.

  • To help provide better shelter in refugee camps throughout the world, LDS Charities is participating in a United Nations High Commission for Refugees project. An international furniture retailer has designed a structure that has advantages compared to tents. The structure includes doors and windows for increased security and a more solid roof covering to protect occupants from the elements. Assembly is under way for 333 housing units that LDS Charities has provided to a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan.