The Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is leading a global initiative to care for women and children. This is done by prioritizing the well-being of women and children through maternal and newborn care, child nutrition, immunizations and education.
And the Church strives to care for those in need in the areas of mobility, safe water and sanitation, health care and more.
Below are some recent examples of these efforts around the world.
Helping children in Uzbekistan
A rural school in a remote part of Uzbekistan is working to help children’s health by replacing the toilets.
The project, which was completed in October 2025, was a cooperative venture between the government of Uzbekistan and the Church. The old toilets have been replaced by new ones at School Number 11 in the Bostanliq district of the Tashkent region, with a new extensive drainage system based on techniques followed in the United States.
A group of delegates visited Utah and Idaho earlier in the year to see the system. They decided that it could work in their own rural communities, reported the Church’s Europe Newsroom. The wastewater is now being filtered and safely absorbed into the ground.
At the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, Elder Jack N Gerard, General Authority Seventy and first counselor in the Europe Central Area presidency, told the children, “Your leaders have been exceptional in finding ways that we can focus on you, as the rising generation and future leaders of Uzbekistan.”
“These children are delightful,” he added. “Their parents, the school, the government authorities are doing their best to protect their future health and wellbeing.”
The new system is inexpensive, operates without electricity and little maintenance. Thus, government leaders hope it can be extended across the country, with similar projects now underway at schools in two more regions.
Relief Society serves babies in Bolivia
The San Juan de Dios Regional Hospital in Tarija, Bolivia, recognized the Relief Society of the Tarija Bolivia Stake for its contributions and donations to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
During a ceremony on Nov. 17, the institution declared the Relief Society a “Friend of Neonatology in Tarija,” in gratitude for its service, reported the Church’s Spanish-language Newsroom.
Last year, the women of the stake Relief Society distributed more than 20 hand-knitted neonatal therapy octopuses, more than 90 baby sweaters and complete layettes, 60 packages of diapers and 44 handcrafted blankets, in addition to other blankets and supplies.
At the ceremony, the stake Relief Society president, Lenore Leckie de Rivera, quoted Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson, who said, “When you bless a woman, you bless a family, a community, a nation. When you bless a child, you invest in the future.”
The work is deeply personal for Leckie and close to her heart. Her third daughter was born prematurely and faced health complications that required prolonged hospitalization — an experience that she said strengthened her commitment to families going through similar situations.
Expectant mothers get better care in Ghana
After having to travel an hour to receive quality maternity care, pregnant women in Kpong, Ghana, now have options closer to home, thanks to donations and work from the Church of Jesus Christ and Ghana’s Ensign Global University.
The Kpong Health Center, which was housed in a 100-year-old building, was small, dilapidated and under-equipped. Ensign Global University funded the construction of new buildings, while the Church’s donation filled the buildings with equipment, technology and supplies.
An official handover ceremony was held on Nov. 12, 2025. Representatives of parliament and traditional leaders such as the local Queen Mother of Kpong were present at the ceremony, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.
President Stephen Manortey, the president of the Church’s Kpong Ghana District and the head of academic programs at Ensign Global University, presided at the event.
He explained that the Church’s mission is “to draw people to Christ, and this is one of the ways to serve the community in achieving that aim.’’ He thanked the healthcare workers for their efforts and said, “We pray the items would serve the purpose they were meant for in order to offer good and quality health care to the people of Kpong and its environs.”
Mobility aid in the Pacific
On the island of Nauru in the Church’s Pacific Area, the Department of People Living with Disabilities recently received a donation of mobility aids from the Church.
The donation included:
- 106 wheelchairs of various sizes and models
- 54 four-wheeled walkers
- Seven strollers
A hand-over ceremony was held at the DPWD facility on Oct. 20, 2025. A team from the Church traveled to Nauru to assist with assembling and distributing the devices, as well as training local staff on proper fitting and maintenance, reported the Church’s Pacific Newsroom.
Throughout the week, 36 individuals were measured and fitted with their new mobility aids. Many recipients were elderly, amputees or individuals living with conditions such as cerebral palsy.
