Recent humanitarian aid projects from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil have helped thousands of people in need.
The donations — working in collaboration with health agencies, hospitals, civil defense and government — have helped meet needs for medical equipment, food and supplies.
Below are some of the recent efforts.
Equipment for people with disabilities in Rio Grande do Norte
Autossuficiência Brasil reported that on Dec. 29, 2023, the Church donated 200 bath chairs to the State Center for Rehabilitation and Specialized Outpatient Care (CEREAE-RN).
During the event, the governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra, expressed her gratitude for the Church’s support to help them meet this need that had been in place for several years.
Leaders from the Brazil Natal Mission and four local stakes — the Natal, Ponta Negra Natal, Pajuçara Natal and Potengi Natal stakes — attended the donation ceremony, along with the Church’s regional manager of Welfare and Self-Reliance, Sharles Aguiar.
Cancer equipment in Rio de Janeiro
Instituto Nacional do Câncer or the National Institute of Cancer (INCA) helps Brazil’s Ministry of Health prevent and control cancer throughout the country. The agency urgently needed new mechanical ventilation devices and face masks to meet demand as its current equipment became obsolete.
On Nov. 25, 2023, the Church donated five mechanical ventilation devices and 20 ventilation face masks to the National Cancer Institute José de Alencar Gomes da Silva, located in Rio de Janeiro. Among those who took part were Rio de Janeiro Brazil Andaraí Stake President Fernando Torres and INCA Coordinator Dr. Sandra Victal.
The donation will help INCA improve the ability to serve and care for patients in oncology treatment, explained a post from the Autossuficiência Brasil Facebook page.
Hospital equipment in Guaratinguetá
On Nov. 24, 2023, the Church delivered a donation to the Frei Galvão Maternity Hospital, located in Guaratinguetá, São Paulo state, consisting of five pulmonary ventilators and 10 vital sign monitoring devices.
The hospital is a non-profit institution that serves thousands of low-income patients throughout the state of São Paulo. It had been renting ventilators and monitoring systems, using financial resources that could be directed toward other needs.
The donation is the third humanitarian project the Church has done with the hospital. In previous years the Church funded the repair of MRI equipment and donated endoscopy and colonoscopy equipment.
Flood and drought relief throughout Brazil
The Church has been offering assistance both in the south of Brazil, which has been hit by flooding, and in the north of the country, which has been dealing with drought.
In the south, relief efforts began after cyclones and intense rains started battering the region in July 2023. Donations from the Church over the past several months have included mattresses, food, hygiene and cleaning kits, school supplies, blankets and drinking water.
These initiatives have taken place in collaboration with Brazil’s Civil Defense in São Leopoldo and Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul state; Lajes, Santa Catarina state; and several other cities in Paraná state.
As for the drought In the north, the Church has distributed tens of thousands of food kits and more than 18,000 gallons of water to people experiencing what an Autossuficiência Brasil Facebook post on Nov. 30, 2023, called the worst crisis in the area in 121 years. The Church has helped areas such as Manaus, Manacapuru, Manaquiri, and Rio Preto da Erva in the Amazon, as well as Óbidos, Arapixuna and Oriximiná in the Pará state.
Hospital donation in Curitiba
On Oct. 31, 2023, the Church announced a donation to Trabalhador Hospital, located in Curitiba in the state of Paraná.
Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Brazil Area Presidency, attended the donation event at the hospital.
The donation included ultrasound machines and videolaparoscopy equipment, meeting the need for video-assisted diagnosis and surgery. This action will help meet the high demand for such equipment and improve medical services in the region, said a blog post from the Church’s Welfare and Self-Reliance Services page (Serviços de Autossuficiência).
It is estimated that approximately 2,000 patients per year will benefit from these additional resources.
