"We have not come to end all your suffering or debt, but to lighten some of the load of your hospital bills," said Yamba Bukasa Donnat, local leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to mothers at a maternity hospital in Kabusanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 24 December 2022.
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Members of the Church of Jesus Christ from congregations throughout DR Congo participated in dozens of charitable service projects during December 2022 and January 2023. These self-initiated projects included giving food and critical supplies to orphanages, painting and cleaning schools, and refurbishing public spaces. Members donated their time and money.
Church leaders also helped pay the hospital bills for some mothers, because in many cases they are not allowed to check out until their bills are fully paid. Mothers who require expensive care, such as emergency Cesarean delivery (C-sections), often are obligated to stay in hospitals for many months post-partum until family members can collect enough funds to pay their bills.
- In Lubumbashi, in southeast DR Congo, Church members went to the Jason Sendwe Hospital on Christmas Eve to pay the bills of four mothers who had been detained for more than three months following their C-sections. This enabled these mothers to spend Christmas day at home with their families. Sisters from the Relief Society, the Church’s organization for women, brought food, soap, diapers, and other supplies for the remaining maternity ward patients.
- In Kabusanga, in central DR Congo, Church members visited four health clinics to assist patients with their bills. One woman exclaimed, “your visit shows the example of Christ” and another said, “today I understand the role of tithing.” Brother Yamba Bukasa Donnat replied, “it is the duty of all members of our Church to emulate Christ.”
- In Kinshasa, DR Congo’s capital in the western portion of the country, Church leaders in the Mokali area of Kinshasa visited two clinics on 10 January 2023 to pay the bills of several patients so they could return home.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ strive to follow the Savior’s example of reaching out to help the most vulnerable members of society. They consecrate their own time and money to this service without regard to recipients’ religion, race, or nationality.