The Church of Jesus Christ and UNICEF Collaborate to Strengthen Health Systems to Keep Mothers and Children Healthy and Safe

NEW YORK (August 17, 2023) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is providing US$10 million to UNICEF, enabling the humanitarian organization to help vulnerable women and children across four countries.

The donation will strengthen health systems in the Central African Republic (CAR), Haiti, Mali and Mozambique. These areas of high maternal and infant mortality are in critical need of improved health infrastructure and human resources to keep mothers and children healthy and safe.

“As Latter-day Saints, it is our joyful privilege to work together in weaving a tapestry of hope and healing for all of God’s children,” said Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson. “We are grateful for our longstanding collaboration with skilled professionals at UNICEF who extend the reach of our helping hands.”

In CAR and Mozambique, UNICEF will focus its work in regions with high numbers of children who have not received any immunizations and are therefore left vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. In Haiti and Mali, UNICEF will deliver essential support to hospitals and health districts with high neonatal mortality rates and poor health services. Together, these programs will reach mothers, children and their communities with access to better, more resilient health care services.

“Through more than 10 years of collaboration, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to supporting UNICEF’s mission to reach children around the world with lifesaving health and nutrition services,” said Michael J. Nyenhuis, president and CEO, UNICEF USA. “We are grateful for this generous contribution to help UNICEF scale up routine immunizations for preventable diseases and invest in sustainable health systems to build their resiliency to ongoing and future threats to the survival of mothers and children.”

The global collaboration of the Church and UNICEF began more than a decade ago with a donation for immunizations in Jordan. Other projects include the following:

• Support for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination (2014–present), which has targeted over 8 million women of reproductive age across nine countries
• Aid for refugees in Europe (2015)
• Scaling up Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs for over 100,000 displaced children and host communities through the Learning for Life partnership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda (2018-present)
• Granting children access to ECD and informed over 40,000 caregivers with child development and caregiving best practices
• A global COVID-19 vaccine distribution effort (2021) through which UNICEF and partners that delivered over 2 billion vaccines in 146 countries
• And, most recently, the prevention and treatment of wasting through the global No Time to Waste initiative

“We are pleased to work together with UNICEF as we strive to create a world where every woman and child is cherished, protected and empowered,” said the Church’s Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé. “Guided by the pure love of Christ, Latter-day Saints stand united with our brothers and sisters to build a brighter future for generations to come.”

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About UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to pursue a more equitable world for every child. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information please contact:

Ann Reinking Whitener, UNICEF USA, 212-922-2623, areinking@unicefusa.org

Learn more about the Church's partnership with UNICEF.

About Humanitarian Services of the Church of Jesus Christ

The Church’s 2022 annual report on caring for those in need shows that the faith’s efforts to care for those in need included more than $1 billion in expenditures, 6.3 million hours volunteered and 3,692 humanitarian projects in 190 countries and territories.

The humanitarian efforts of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints relieve suffering, foster self-reliance and provide opportunities for service. The Church follows the admonition of Jesus Christ to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the sick and afflicted.

This humanitarian outreach is made possible by the generous donations and volunteerism of Latter-day Saints and friends of the faith. The Church gives assistance without regard to race, religious affiliation or nationality. Aid is based on the core principles of personal responsibility, community support, self-reliance and sustainability.

This project is funded in part by LDS Charities Australia.