Change people's lives at home and around the world
May 2013
As part of World Immunization Week, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI) — an organization that has prevented close to six million deaths through immunizations — posted a video about its partnership with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon).
The video features Fred Riley, manager of special projects for LDS Humanitarian Services, who calls the Church’s partnership with GAVI “the perfect blend of two organizations that have the same mission in mind.” Teaming up with GAVI, he says, provides more opportunities for Mormons and others to grow through volunteer service and to learn that “all people are children of God.”
Riley adds that “dollar for dollar, of all the things that any organization or person could do, there’s nothing that has a greater impact on a family or a child’s life [than immunizations]. For really just a few pennies or a dollar, you can save children’s lives from all these diseases that are out there that are preventable.”
The Church has committed $4.5 million to GAVI, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is matching every dollar the Church gives.
In addition to its own world immunization program, Church Humanitarian Services sponsors five other ongoing global projects to help people become more self-reliant. The initiatives include emergency response, neonatal resuscitation training,clean water projects, wheelchair distribution, and vision care.
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expresses condolences to those affected by Monday’s destructive tornadoes that hit five states, the most devastating of which occurred in Moore, Oklahoma.
In a continued effort to help Haitians following the 2010 earthquake, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and friends are planting 400,000 trees in Haiti, with nearly 25,000 planted on 1 May 2013. Another 75,000 trees are scheduled for planting by year's end.