Humanitarian Aid
December 2011 Update:
Early in December, an announcement was sent to congregations on behalf of the Humanitarian Aid Committee. The Committee has traditionally provided our brothers and sisters in West Africa and Ecuador with a Christmas grant, providing packages containing basic provisions such as rice, flour, salt, and cooking oil, and perhaps some Christmas treats. This annual Christmas gift has been a source of help and special joy to those who have received it. We are thankful for the recent donations that have enabled the Christmas grants to go forward as planned. To contribute to the Humanitarian Aid Fund and support the ongoing work of the Humanitarian Aid Committee throughout the year, go to the “Make a Charitable Contribution” page and select “Humanitarian Aid” from the drop-down menu as you complete the donation form. Additional information about the Humanitarian Aid Committee, its members and its work, appears below. Thank you for your contributions.
From the first foreign mission trips, the ministers returned with stories of significant humanitarian needs in both Ecuador and Togo. The Bible teaches us to help our fellow travelers both temporally and spiritually.
The LLC Board of Directors appointed the Humanitarian Aid Committee to organize assistance efforts in countries where LLC mission services are being held. In order to assure that the assistance goes where it is needed most, the HAC coordinates its efforts with local Humanitarian Aid Committees in each country.
HAC Origins
The LLC started humanitarian aid work in the spring of 2002 in response to requests by ministers returning from mission trips to both Togo and Ecuador. They saw that many of the most basic temporal and daily needs of many newly converted believers were unmet. Many of these speakers helped with their own funds and wished there was a way to help more of the brothers and sisters in these areas.
After hearing these requests, the LLC decided to form a separate fund designated strictly to humanitarian aid. This separation of funds was seen as essential so that the humanitarian work would not get confused with the LLC’s main mission “to preach the Gospel.” This new fund would ensure that contributors to the LLC would be able to designate how their donation would be used, for mission work or for humanitarian aid.
In the spring of 2002, initial meetings took place to establish the Humanitarian Aid Committee. The LLC sponsored this endeavor and formed a committee. The committee chose officers and drafted a charter that detailed its organization, mission statement, and short- and long-term operating plans. This charter was brought to the LLC Board of Directors meeting during the LLC’s 2002 Summer Services. The charter was approved, and the committee was encouraged by the LLC to continue the work as described in the charter.
How Funds are Raised
Based on these initial meetings and the approval of the charter, the Humanitarian Aid Committee started its formal activities of raising and disbursing funds. The HAC fund-raising efforts to date have been at LLC-sponsored events such as Winter and Summer Services, as well as local fund-raising events in many of the LLC member congregations. Also individuals, sensing the great need, have donated directly to the fund by one-time and/or monthly contributions. Some of the fund-raisers held by the congregations have included bake sales, presentations, general collections, meals, and special coffee lunches.
One of the HAC’s hopes is to see each congregation in the North American Zion sponsor at least one HAC fund-raiser yearly. The committee sells videos and CDs with footage of life in Togo and Ecuador. These were filmed by the ministers and other believers who have visited these beautiful countries. These fund-raisers have varied in approach, but all have been successful in providing resources for the benefit of those in need in Ecuador and Togo. The fund-raising has raised about $19,000 per year during 2004 and 2005 and has supported the modest efforts that the committee has sponsored.
How Funds are Used
The funds have then been given to the local Humanitarian Aid Committees developed by the congregations in both Ecuador and Togo. An annual general grant of $5000 ($1250 per quarter) is sent to each country to help with the day-to-day requests to support their work. These local committees truly know where and how to best use the funds so that the greatest impact can be made with the limited resources available. In addition to these quarterly grants, $1,000 is sent to each country each August to support the educational needs of the children, and an additional $1,000 is sent to each country for a Christmas food and candy gift in December.
These local Humanitarian Aid Committees have been crucial in this work and have soberly used all of the funds to support the basic needs of the children and families in their congregations. HAC has attempted to establish an “emergency fund” of $5000 to support requests that cannot be met with the regular quarterly distributions. These funds are used to support the serious and often life-threatening events that are unanticipated. The emergency fund has been used in many ways. It has provided support to help a family rebuild their home that had burned down, provided food relief for the Togolese believers in a recent time of political unrest, and has provided many types of medical procedures (cancer treatments, eye surgeries, etc.). Most of these needs would have gone unmet without the North American believers’ support of the HAC.
The HAC has also provided other types of assistance to help entire communities. These projects have included providing running water for 64 homes in the Riobamba area of Ecuador, providing basic immunizations for the Togolese believers, supporting a small grocery cooperative in Quito, Ecuador, to make fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable, and to support both a trout farm and a sheep farm for some of the indigenous believers in Ecuador. These small communal farm projects were initiated to help believers support themselves and their extended communities.
Make a Charitable Contribution
The LLC Humanitarian Aid Committee organizes assistance efforts in both Togo and Ecuador where LLC mission services are held.
Humanitarian Aid Committee Membership
Current Membership of the Humanitarian Aid Committee is as follows:
Hannah Haapala
Jeff Hanson
Ignace Hounwanou
Eric Jurmu
Bill Juusola
Katherine Keranen
Barb Lever
Tyler Muhonen
Adam Wuollet
Contact the Humanitarian Aid Committee:
Email: hac@llchurch.org
Quick Links
Dates to Remember
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