Mormon Helping Hands Pampanga, Philippines
Mormon Helping Hands - program of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) around the world. The Mormon Helping Hands program was officially established in 1998, and since then hundreds of thousands of volunteers have donated millions of hours of service to their communities. Although the program is most often associated with emergency response, disaster relief is only half of the story of Mormon Helping Hands.
It started 10 years ago when the Church asked local Church leaders in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile to reach out in their communities through service. South American Church leaders set out to establish an annual day of service.
They coordinated a multinational effort involving tens of thousands of Church members from all over southern South America. Nearly every Latter-day Saint congregation in the region participated. Church members both old and young went out into their communities cleaning streets, parks and other public spaces and painting and repairing schools and hospitals.
Soon afterward, the initiative spread to Brazil, where it has become a cornerstone for national service. The Mormon Helping Hands program in Brazil first garnered national attention for its humanitarian efforts and community projects in 2001 when Marco Maciel, then vice president of Brazil, thanked the Church for its service. By 2002, the Mormon Helping Hands program was named one of the most important volunteer organizations in Brazil.
Perhaps one of the keys to the growth of Mormon Helping Hands is that it is not a program that was pushed. It was allowed to grow at its own pace. As it did, more and more Church members were naturally attracted to the opportunity to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their fellow Church members and neighbors in activities that benefit everyone.
“As many as 100 million people worldwide may need a wheelchair and don’t have access to one. Only 1 in 100 can afford to purchase a wheelchair. To be mobile, people with disabilities often rely on family and friends to carry them from place to place. It can be extremely difficult just to leave home. Going to school or getting a job may be impossible dreams.” In 2008, the LDS Church distributed more than 50,000 wheelchairs in 46 countries, including Armenia, Argentina, Belarus, Bolivia, Botswana, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, China, Croatia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, India, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, United States, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
The LDS Church has also participated in the social mobilization effort that is significant to the success of each campaign. A catchy musical jingle, composed by a young LDS Church member during the LDS Church’s participation in the Madagascar measles campaign, has been translated and sung in 28 languages on dozens of radio stations in subsequent campaigns.
From 2004 to 2008, 59,596 LDS Church members in 32 countries volunteered their efforts in canvassing neighborhoods and helping at vaccination posts.
In 2008, the LDS Church participated in measles vaccination campaigns in Benin, El Salvador, Egypt, Honduras, Ivory Cost, Malawi, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, and Tanzania.
In April 17, 2010 clean-up drive in Slovenia.
Today in Bulaon Resettlement School Streets & Octagonal Park City of San Fernando, Pampanga in Philippines.
