“All-Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day,” Global Histories: Nigeria (2019)
“All-Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day,” Global Histories: Nigeria
All-Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day
Saints in Omoku, Nigeria, participating in a Mormon Helping Hands project, 2009
On October 27, 2007, Latter-day Saints in Africa donated more than 300,000 hours to complete hundreds of community service projects throughout the continent. Saints in dozens of countries worked with local governments to identify areas where they could help clean and improve their local environments. Donning yellow Mormon Helping Hands vests, Saints cleaned roads, parks, beaches, hospitals, schools, and other public buildings.
In Nigeria, members cleaned several public roadways, repaired potholes, cleared brush from drainages, and cleaned schools, hospitals, orphanages, and local libraries. In Abuja, members cleaned several local markets, a police barracks, and several roads. The Idu Branch built a new bridge, while members in Kubwa fixed potholes in roads.
Government officials throughout the country expressed gratitude to Church members for the work they did. “It is impressive that a church can organize this kind of thing. This shows that the church has the interest of the community at heart,” one local government official said. “We commend them.” Senator Liyel Imoke, governor of Cross River state, praised the Church for “bringing up … good citizens for the state, the country and the world” and for their efforts at “refocusing the minds of the youths to things more nobler and right in the sight of God and man.”
Since 2007 Latter-day Saints have carried on the tradition, participating in an annual All-Africa Mormon Helping Hands Day.