The global Covid-19 pandemic has escalated the need to address hunger among the poor in Cabo Verde, and that need is both widespread and urgent. In February of 2021, two charitable organizations recently joined forces to help do just that.
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Volunteers help load food and supplies in the city of Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The Community Association for Development of Pensamento (ACDP) provides food and services to the elderly at their facility in Cabo Verde. After the pandemic closed them down, they wanted to deliver food to homes instead. Their plea for help was met by a donation from Latter-Day Saint Charities (LDSC), who helped purchase and deliver a three-month supply of food and supplies to seventy large families in the city of Praia. This effort benefited over four hundred people in need.
“LDSC chose to work in cooperation with ACDP because we felt they were serving some of the most vulnerable and affected populations, specifically the elderly and mothers raising small children,” said Lucilino Mendonca, LDSC Welfare & Self Reliance Services representative.
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Latter-day Saint Charities and Seventh Day Adventists join forces to provide assistance in the country of Cabo Verde2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Soon after, LDSC partnered with the Seventh-Day Adventists (SDA) in the mountain summit of Monte Vermelho to provide food baskets to fifty needy families, followed by further outreach to an additional forty families. Food baskets were delivered with the help of young adults and missionaries from the Praia congregation. Noemy Lopes, a young adult who assisted with the distribution, commented “It was an excellent experience for me as I was privileged to use my time to bless other people’s lives.”
Leaders from both Church humanitarian service groups were present at the closing ceremony in March 2021. Roseveltt Teixeira, President of the Praia congregation, said that “this donation reflects what we believe; that as Church members we follow Jesus Christ by obeying the second great Commandment to serve others.” A leader of the local SDA congregation added “It is crucial that our organizations have partnerships like this which take advantage of our shared beliefs to serve others.”
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Closing ceremony for the joint humanitarian effort in Cabo Verde.2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Latter-day Saint Charities is the humanitarian arm of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its purpose is to relieve suffering, foster self-reliance and provide opportunities for service. Latter-day Saints Charities sponsor relief and development projects in 195 countries and territories and give assistance without regard to race, religious affiliation, or nationality. Aid is based on the core principles of personal responsibility, community support, self-reliance, and sustainability. Largely run with volunteer labor, it operates both independently and in cooperation with other charitable organizations and governmentsLatter-Day Saint Charities and Seventh-Day Adventists Partner to Purchase and Deliver Meals