Recent reports from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico showcase some of the church’s efforts to improve the well-being of women, children and vulnerable communities worldwide.
These efforts include donating medical equipment to hospitals and partnering with organizations to help survivors of violence and migrant children in Mexico. They also align with the global caring initiative led by the church’s Relief Society.
“When you bless a woman, you bless a family, a community, a nation,” said Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson in a Liahona magazine article published this July.
“When you bless a child, you invest in the future.”
Below are more details regarding the church’s recent humanitarian efforts in Mexico.
Increasing access to ‘essential resources and services’
To increase the resources and services available to locals, the Church of Jesus Christ has donated medical equipment to hospitals in Mexico.
“We believe that all of God’s children should have access to essential resources and services that allow them a comprehensive development, including timely and quality medical care,” said Bishop Daniel Campos of the church’s Atlacomulco Ward.
Bishop Campos represented the church at a ceremony held in the State of Mexico, Mexico, where the church donated three pieces of medical equipment to Hospital Mazahua, in collaboration with a Mexican health and family guidance organization.
These three pieces, which are to aid in biochemical, electrolyte and blood gas analysis, are also expected to allow for faster and more accurate diagnoses, especially benefiting patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women and malnourished children, according to a report from the church’s Mexico Newsroom.
“These devices are true tools of transformation,” said hospital director Raymundo García, “With these new devices, we will multiply our diagnostic capacity, shorten waiting times, improve the precision of our clinical decisions, and above all, provide care with greater dignity to those who need it most.”
The church’s report states that prior to the donation, the hospital’s outdated equipment had caused delays in test results and erroneous diagnoses, negatively impacting the quality of care the hospital could provide. Yet, with the new equipment, the hospital estimates being able to run more than 30,000 studies per year, benefiting roughly 6,300 patients annually with timely diagnoses.
Other reports highlight the church’s donation to a hospital in Chiapas, Mexico, as well as another expected to benefit 14 medical units in 11 states throughout Mexico.
In Chiapas, the church’s donation to Hospital San Carlos — the only hospital in the region culturally adapted to serve indigenous communities — included installing 12 new hospital beds, donating 30 pillows and providing nutritional support for at least 360 patients this year.
As for the church’s donation to benefit 14 medical units in 11 states, that one included medical technology such as ultrasounds, colposcopes and biopsy equipment. A report states this donation was made in support of a Mexican association’s initiative, which aims to benefit at least 4,300 women by improving early detection and timely treatment of breast and cervical cancer.
Offering a ‘tangible hope’ to children, families and individuals
In addition to donating medical equipment to hospitals in Mexico, the Church of Jesus Christ has contributed to a variety of organizations, including ones that care for migrant children and survivors of violence in Mexico.
For instance, an Aug. 13 report states the church recently donated funds to Save the Children Mexico, an organization with which the church has benefited more than 16,000 people in the past.
These funds will enable the organization to deploy mobile humanitarian assistance stations, which will provide supplies and resources — including food, water, hygiene products, psychosocial support and protection information — to migrant children and families, refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons.
The recently donated funds will also help the organization to enable food delivery to shelters and help locals receive training in protection methodologies.
Another report states the church has also recently contributed funds to Médicos Sin Fronteras to strengthen the health services of a comprehensive care center located in Mexico City, Mexico.
This care center serves migrants, refugees and displaced persons — among them women and children — who have been subject to extreme violence and inhumane treatment. It does so by offering free specialized medical and psychological care, distributing essential supplies and providing therapeutic activities for groups and individuals, all free of charge.
With the church’s donation, Médicos Sin Fronteras plans to improve the care center’s facilities, including by creating murals as part of a healing initiative, designating a plant area to promote well-being and providing food and medication for patients.
Other reports describe the contributions the church has made to address child malnutrition.
“We are grateful for this donation that represents a tangible hope for many families that are working to offer a better quality of life to their children,” said Edgar Ávila, general director of the Ávila Cruz Foundation in Mexico, in an Aug. 13 report.
According to the report, the Church of Jesus Christ recently donated funds to the Ávila Cruz Foundation in support of its initiative to combat child malnutrition in five indigenous communities in the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, Mexico.
The foundation expects that, with the church’s support, its initiative will benefit at least 100 children between ages 3 and 5 by educating families in workshops, distributing food packages and facilitating regular medical check-ups over a 12-month period.
As it has in Mexico, the Church of Jesus Christ is prioritizing issues that impact women, children and vulnerable communities around the world, and it invites its members to participate in “bringing the Savior’s relief” to others within their own spheres of influence.
