Mormon Diplomacy Part III: Humanitarian Services

Humanitarian programs are one of the best ways for an organization to improve their diplomatic efforts. Doing so is becoming increasingly popular among all sorts of organizations. In my opinion, however, there is no organization which does this as effectively as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Of course, I may be a bit biased, but, working in the field of international development, I am not completely ignorant on the subject. Today I would like to share a little about LDS Humanitarian Services, including what they do, and what makes them so unique.

Most church members, as well as many others, are aware of the humanitarian efforts of the Mormons. However, I have found that there is little detailed knowledge beyond that awareness. While studying International Development in graduate school, I realized that I too was among those with a very limited understanding of what the Mormons actually do in terms of an organizational development plan, and sought to remedy the solution, a process in which I am still engaged.

My first chance came when I took advantage of an assignment given in one of my courses, which was to conduct an in-depth study of the practices of a major development organization. Dr. Isaac Ferguson, the former director of LDS Humanitarian Services, was kind enough to give me a lengthy interview and gave me tons of information which I was able to transfer into a successful research paper.

Since then, I have continued to learn by viewing Humanitarian Services in practice. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I have been lucky to interact regularly with the full-time humanitarian directors for the Church in both Romania and Moldova, and even have been permitted to participate in some of their projects.

So, what then does LDS Humanitarian Services do? First of all, they focus on five major global initiatives:

1) Clean Water: Helps set up access to clean water for the estimated 1 billion people on the earth who still don't have access to clean drinking water. (For development nerds like myself who want to see how this fits in line with the UN's Millennium Development Goals, see goal number 7).
2) Neonatal Resuscitation: Provides profession training which helps greatly reduce child mortality. A few months ago, a great Neonatal Resuscitation training took place in Romania. (See MGD number 4).
3) Vision Treatment: It is estimated that nearly ½ of the people who go blind in the world (over 20 million people) could have their blindness cured through a simple surgery for cataracts. Thousands of local doctors in developing countries are trained on how to treat these problems.
4) Wheelchair Distribution: This is one of my favorite programs. Just a couple of months ago I was able to be present for LDS Humanitarian Services distributing 80 wheelchairs in the area.
5) Emergency Response: Perhaps what Humanitarian Services is known for best, the Mormons have made a name for themselves both by the level of post-emergency aid they provide, as well as the organization and rapid response they are able to provide.

In addition to these major programs, the the Humanitarian Services general fund allows for thousands of small projects around the world. The manner in which these projects are identified is about as grassroots as you can get. Many funding organizations require those seeking funding to come to them with specific requests. LDS Humanitarian Services, does just the opposite. Humanitarian representatives independently seek out and offer assistance to organizations which they identify as most deserving. Their criteria is based on both need and the level to which representatives feel the organizations are truly providing a positive social change.

All aid given through these small projects goes directly to material goods, thus ensuring that all donations are used for their intended purposes. In just the last year in our area alone the humanitarian representatives have provided equipment for a sports club for handicapped people, as well as replacing the transmission on the only van used by a struggling aid organization for children.

A few other interesting tidbits about Humanitarian Services: Some may be familiar with two different names, “LDS Humanitarian Services,” and “LDS Charities.” In fact, these two organizations the same. The name they use depends upon the country in which they work. Countries in which the religious organization of the Church has been officially recognized work under the name Humanitarian Services. “LDS Charities” is the name of the Church's non-profit organization which functions in those countries without official church presence.

Another thing I found very interesting was the fact that no tithing is used in conjunction with LDS Humanitarian Services programs. All funding comes from individual donations, which, for those who have ever made donations to the Church of Jesus Christ, are found on the “Humanitarian Aid” line on a standard tithing slip.

LDS Humanitarian Services is also unique in the fact that none of the public donations go toward overhead costs (salaries, rent, utilities, etc.), and all donations go directly to humanitarian aid. This is possible for a number of reasons. Firstly, operations are run in conjunction with existing church infrastructure (sharing offices, etc.). Secondly, the vast majority of LDS Humanitarian Services “staff” are in fact volunteers. Most of the in-country humanitarian representatives are retired couples opting to serve are missionaries for 1 ½ – 2 years. The small full-time staff which does exist is funded through separate, non-donated funds coming from the Church's for-profit management corporation.

All in all, I have been quite impressed with the Church's Humanitarian Services program. I hope you have found this very brief description of LDS Humanitarian Services to be interesting as well. If you have other questions, please let me know!

Further Reading:

And Who Is My Neighbor
Talk given by Presiding Bishop H. David Burton in the April 2008 General Conference, outlining many of the humanitarian efforts of the Church.