http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDS_Humanitarian_Services
Emergency Response is the part of the LDS Church’s humanitarian efforts of which most people are aware. Funds and supplies in this area are used to help victims of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, tornadoes, and hurricanes, as well as other disasters such as wars or political unrest. Supplies in this area are gathered and stored before a crisis so supplies can be sent literally within hours of an emergency. Volunteers are also on call so if they are needed they can be reached and organized within a few hours. The LDS Church is renowned for its ability to organize its members in various regions of the world to respond to emergency and facilitate distributing goods immediately after a crisis, often before aid programs such as the Red Cross or the Salvation Army come to assist. In 2008, the LDS Church responded to 124 disasters in 48 countries.[2]
Wheelchair Distribution is another program of the LDS Church crucial to helping those in need. Studies estimate that only one percent of the disabled in the world have wheelchairs. For the rest, being without a wheelchair means for adults that they can not provide for themselves or their families, and for children it often means not being able to attend school. By providing wheelchairs to those in need, the LDS Church hopes to help people become more self-reliant which is an important tenant of LDS beliefs.[3]
The Clean Water Service provides clean water and wells to people who otherwise would most likely contract deadly diseases because of the dirty water. It is estimated that one billion people lack clean water. The clean water program is designed to partner with local community agencies to provide sustainable clean water.[4]
The Neonatal Resuscitation Program sends doctors and volunteers to areas where infant mortality rate is high. They are able to teach people in the area how to resuscitate newborns as well as provide simple medical equipment. This service is greatly needed as it is estimated that nearly 1 million newborns die each year due to birth difficulties. Up to 10% of newborns have breathing difficulties.[5]
The Vision Treatment Training Program teaches facilities and medical personnel in developing countries how to treat preventable or reversible blindness. There are 37 million people in the world who are blind, and up to 75 % of blindness is treatable. The vision care program works with local vision health care centers to help treat and prevent blindness for the poor.[6]
In addition to these efforts, the LDS Church also has over 300 job development and placement centers around the world. In 2001, the LDS Church began the
Perpetual Education Fund which provides money to cover tuition and other school expenses to people in developing nations. As of 2007, tens of thousands of individuals had been given assistance. So far this program has operated primarily in South America and Oceana. The LDS Church has also begun producing a nutrition-rich porridge named
Atmit to help during acute famines.
The LDS Church Welfare Program owns farms, ranches, canneries, and other food producing facilities to provide temporary food relief for families and individuals.
LDS Humanitarian Services frequently works with other charities and NGOs such as the Red Cross, Catholic charities and
even various Islamic charities for which the LDS Church has produced halaal food.[7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Helping_Hands
Mormon Helping Hands is a name under which members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) perform volunteer community service. The Church officially established the program in 1998[2] in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile to identify service being done by members of the LDS Church. That same year it was implemented on a large scale in Brazil as part of a country-wide day of service organized by the church. It has since been used in many countries.[3]
Mormon Helping Hands operates under the direction of local stake and district presidents and bishops. The activities are meant to provide community service
and are not proselytizing in nature.
Mormon Helping Hands both responds to disasters such as hurricanes[4] and gives aid aimed at improving conditions caused by long-standing problems such as deterioration of parks that lack proper upkeep.[5]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LDS_Philanthropies
LDS Philanthropies is a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is responsible for facilitating donations to humanitarian and education initiatives including
Brigham Young University (Provo, Idaho, and Hawaii campuses),
LDS Business College, and the
Perpetual Education Fund.
While welfare programs within of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are generally for members, humanitarian donations are used to provide assistance in countries around the world to people
without regard to race or religion. These donations provide assistance to victims of natural disasters, including aid such as hygiene kits, food and water, and blankets.[1] Current humanitarian projects include neonatal resuscitation training, wheelchair placement, eye surgery initiatives to help the blind, well drilling projects for water sources, and other health and wellness projects.
One hundred percent of all donations are used to help the needy (overhead for administering aid is paid from the general funds of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).[2] Humanitarian aid deliveries are supervised by service missionaries who live and serve in countries around the world. In some parts of the world their efforts are best known by the volunteers in yellow t-shirts that say "Mormon Helping Hands".
Donations to education efforts helps to provide scholarships and create mentored learning opportunities for students from around the world. Brigham Young University Hawaii, for example, helps students from the Pacific Islands and Asia. The Perpetual Education Fund provides repayable loans for students in developing nations to obtain an education. When graduates become employed they repay the loan and the money is used to help another student.
=============================================================================
Wow... and not one word about funding spaceships for the next holocaust.
