Stories From the Field

Self-Reliance Gardening

Elder and Sister Cooper had the opportunity to tour several greenhouses in the Visoko and Zenica areas of Bosnia. They wrote "We accompanied the Benson Food Specialists, Ron and Wendy Davidson, and our partner Muslim Aid. Gilles Francois was also in Bosnia for the tour; we enjoyed meeting him and spending the day with him.

This project assists poor rural families in Bosnia and Herzegovina establish productive and sustainable greenhouses. Selected families receive a fully installed greenhouse startup package with everything needed for one planting cycle. Before receiving the startup package, recipient families must complete a training program in greenhouse production and demonstrate that they are prepared to run a successful greenhouse enterprise.

It was interesting to see how each recipient family has cared for their greenhouse and what they have chosen to plant. All of the greenhouses have been successful in providing fresh, nutritious food for the families and enabling them to be a little more self-reliant."

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Elder and Sister Moser wrote "The Hungarian Federation of the Blind's Guide Dog Training Center, LDS Charities, and Budapest Stake Young Single Adults make a winning combination. We have a new senior couple here that are in charge of the Young Single Adults and they asked us if we knew of any place they could do a service project. We referred them to the Guide Dog Training Center. Within a week they had the time scheduled and the work completed. The director has thanked us numerous times for the support of LDS Charities and for the hard work done by the YSA Group in helping prepare for the Open House for their Guide Dog Recovery Room.

We have seen several guide dogs assisting their blind owners lately. It is very rewarding to realize that LDS Charities is helping to make it possible for more blind people to receive guide dogs. We also had a very unique experience a few weeks ago at the "Invisible Exhibition" where blind guides took us through a totally dark "house, street, park, and restaurant." It was humbling to experience their world from this perspective.


School Bathrooms

Elder and Sister Gerritsen wrote "LDS Charities provided a small bathroom in 7 rural schools on the northernmost island of Cape Verde, which have never had toilets or a washbasin.  Four schools on the east side of Santo Antao received 2 toilets and a washbasin.  The 3 extremely rural schools in the northwest part of the island received 1 toilet and a washbasin. 

Two of the 3 schools in that area needed to have the toilets, washbasins, cement, and building materials transported by donkeys and by hand, up and down mountains and hills on dirt paths, due to the lack of roads into the schools.   Students often have to walk 1 hour to school each day, and have never had toilets, washbasins, or electricity in their schools.  They now have toilets and washbasins, thanks to this generous contribution by LDS Charities. Sanitation can now be meaningfully taught.  Privacy and dignity is now available, and the  students, parents, and teachers are more happy than words can tell.  This has been a great project for the poor in this part of Cape Verde."