Leaders of the International Organization for Migration, an organization supporting migrants and displaced populations in more than 170 countries, recently met in Salt Lake City with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Their visit included touring church welfare and humanitarian facilities, as well as talking with church leaders about ongoing efforts to support vulnerable migrants in Latin America and around the world, according to a press release published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
“This is a community that is living its faith in ways that I’ve not seen anywhere else in the world,” Amy Pope, the international organization’s director general, said of her visit.
“It takes very, very seriously the teachings of Jesus,” she said, and “the responsibility to love thy neighbor as thyself — which is being played out in the most concrete of ways.”
Pope and other leaders of the International Organization for Migration toured the church’s Humanitarian Center and Bishops’ Central Storehouse during their visit on May 11-12.
They also visited with Elder Edward Dube of the Presidency of the Seventy, Sister J. Anette Dennis of the Relief Society general presidency and managing director Blaine Maxfield of the church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services to discuss migrant support.
The Church of Jesus Christ’s support and collaboration with the International Organization for Migration helps migrants find jobs and build small businesses through skills training and startup funding, Pope said.
Thanks to a continued collaboration with the church, “we will not only meet urgent needs but also help people rebuild their lives with real opportunities — jobs, businesses and stability,” she said.
As part of its ongoing collaboration, the church has contributed a total of $1.75 million to support programs of the International Organization for Migration across Latin America, per the church’s press release.
“We’re grateful to work with (the organization) in efforts to maintain the dignity and potential of individuals,” Maxfield said.
“This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to move beyond meeting immediate needs by helping people build self-reliance through meaningful work, build sustainable businesses and create more stable futures for themselves and their families,” he said.
In Panama, the church’s support has enabled the organization to strengthen its emergency assistance for migrants, including by providing access to food, basic healthcare, essential items and improved temporary shelter spaces, according to the church’s release.
In Ecuador, the church’s support has enabled the organization to better help children with disabilities and neurodivergent conditions access improved health services and develop skills for future self-reliance alongside their families.
Pope said visiting the church’s Humanitarian Center was a highlight of her visit. She said it was “deeply affecting” to see the community’s love for each other, and she said she enjoyed meeting migrants and refugees from around the world who work at the center and take English classes there.
Learn more about the church’s 2025 charitable giving report and how its contributions increased again last year here.
