Students at 28 schools in Guatemala are receiving new desks, five reservations in Colombia are gaining access to clean drinking water, and 480 soup kitchens in rural Peru will have new cooking kits — all thanks to recent donations by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Below is a glance at some of the ways the Church and its members have served people in various countries across Latin America in August, September and October.

Mexico

As part of an effort to improve nutrition in vulnerable communities in Mexico City, the Church donated equipment for processing dairy products to an organization called “Alimentos para Todos” (“Food for All”) on Oct. 23. In addition to a variety of other food products, the organization will now be able to produce cheese, cottage cheese and butter.

Rocío Sánchez, president of the Iztapalapa Ward Relief Society, left, and Hugo Morales, president of the México City Oriental Stake symbolically launch the dairy processing facility at “Alimentos para Todos” (“Food for All”) on Oct. 23, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Also in October, the Church donated mobile tents to “Médicos sin fronteras de México A.C.” (“Doctors Without Borders” in Mexico). The tents will allow the organization to have more spaces for people to receive quality medical care in northern Mexico and benefit approximately 12,000 people a year.

The Church donated mobile tents to “Médicos sin fronteras de México A.C” (“Doctors Without Borders” in Mexico) in October 2023. The tents have internal dividers and lighting.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Guatemala

A total of 28 schools in San Pedro Ayampuc, Guatemala, received school furniture donated by the Church in October. The donation consisted of 1,870 desks, 98 marker boards and 114 chairs — benefitting more than 4,000 students and 114 teachers.

Students pose for a photo in front of furniture donated by the Church in San Pedro Ayampuc, Guatemala, Oct. 6, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Argentina

The Church donated high-tech equipment to Hospital SAMIC Eldorado in Misiones, Argentina, in August. The equipment will help doctors diagnose and research oncological diseases.

Local health officials and doctors view the high-tech equipment donated by the Church to a hospital in Eldorado, Argentina, in August 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

El Salvador

Members of the San Salvador El Salvador Stake joined with the Foundation for the Development of Women (FUNDEM) to hold Visual Health Day on Oct. 14. Almost 100 people from San Marcos and San Salvador benefitted from the event, receiving free eye exams and purchasing glasses at a lower cost.

A man receives a free eye exam in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Oct. 14, 2023. Latter-day Saints volunteered during Visual Health Day in collaboration with the Foundation for the Development of Women (FUNDEM).

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A few days earlier, on Oct. 21, members of the Apopa El Salvador Stake participated in a reforestation day in Guazapa, El Salvador. They planted more than 200 fruit and timber trees.

Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints help plant more than 200 fruit and timber trees in Guazapa, El Salvador, on Oct. 21, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Bolivia

On Sept. 22, the Church donated 1,788 desks to benefit educational units in 14 municipalities in rural areas of La Paz and Pando, Bolivia. Eustaquio Huayta, vice president of the Association of Municipal Autonomous Governments of the Department of La Paz, said in a Bolivia Newsroom release: “Education is the path to the development of people and the country, that is why we thank the Church for this important donation.”

Virginia Velasco, president of the Science and Technology Commission in La Paz, Bolivia, poses for a photo with President Rodrigo Calle Peñaloza, president of the El Alto Bolivia Litoral Stake, at a ceremony on Sept. 22, 2023, in which the Church donated 1,788 desks to rural municipalities in La Paz and Pando, Bolivia.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Members of the Calacoto Ward, La Paz Bolivia Calacoto Stake, held a service activity in August benefitting children hospitalized with cancer and their families. They donated toys, clothes, TVs, DVDs and more. Some installed shelves to hold the donated toys, while others prepared a meal for the families.

Members of the Calacoto Ward, La Paz Bolivia Calacoto Stake, participate in a service activity in August 2023 to help children hospitalized with cancer and their families.

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More than 200 Latter-day Saint young adults visited three shelters in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, to minister to children and elderly individuals. The same day, members of the Santa Cruz Bolivia El Bajío Stake held an annual blood drive in coordination with the Santa Cruz Regional Blood Bank.

A young adult from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint feeds a child in a shelter in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Aug. 12, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The municipality of Santa Cruz, Bolivia, recently recognized the the Church for its service to the community. Elder Tito Ibáñez, Area Seventy, received the award on behalf of the Church, which was presented by Johnny Fernández, mayor of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and Gabriela Garzón, president of the city council.

Johnny Fernández, mayor of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, right, and Gabriela Garzón, president of the city council, left, present Elder Tito Ibáñez, Area Seventy, with a recognition for the Church for its service to the community in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Colombia

Thanks to a donation from the Church to WaterAid — a nonprofit bringing clean water and toilets to vulnerable populations — some 4,200 people from five reservations in La Guajira, Colombia, will receive clean drinking water. A ceremony for the donation was held in October.

People in La Guajira, Colombia, will receive clean drinking water, thanks to a donation from the Church to WaterAid in October 2023.

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Honduras

To help some of the most vulnerable communities in Cortés, Honduras, local members of the Church recently donated books, clothing and groceries. Alexa Solórzano, governor of Cortés, said in a Honduras Newsroom release dated Oct. 22: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has always caught my attention because of the active way in which its members participate in serving others.”

Members of the Church in Honduras donated books, clothing and groceries to benefit vulnerable communities in Cortés in 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Peru

In collaboration with Peru’s Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, the Church donated 480 cooking kits for soup kitchens in rural areas on Oct. 6. Read more about the deliveries made to the cities of Cusco, Puno, Cerro Colorado and Huaral.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Peru’s Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion deliver cooking kits for 117 soup kitchens in the Puno region of Peru, on Oct. 20, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A group of Latter-day Saints in Ayacucho, Peru, cleaned the entrance to the Huatatas River on Oct. 28, so visitors and tourists could more fully enjoy the area.

Members of the Church clean the access area to the Hutatas River in Ayacucho, Peru, on Oct. 28, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In August, 165 volunteers from the Church helped clean streets in San Juan de Lurigancho, a district in Lima, Peru. They participated as part of the “Clean Neighborhoods” campaign of San Juan de Lurigancho, which aims to care for the environment and reduce pollution in the area.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints support the municipal program “Clean Neighborhoods” in San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru, on Aug. 30, 2023, promoting care for the environment and reducing pollution.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A similar effort to beautify the community happened in Huancayo, Peru, on Oct. 21. Latter-day Saint volunteers worked with local officials to clean green areas, roads and pools in the city.

Latter-day Saint volunteers help clean streets in Huancayo, Peru, on Oct. 21, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

In Callao, Peru, about 40 Latter-day Saints helped Operation Smile Peru during a 10-day campaign from Oct. 18-28, as the organization provided free operations to children with a cleft lip or palate. The Church also donated materials and equipment used during the campaign.

Latter-day Saints help unload materials during the Operation Smile Peru campaign at a hospital in Callo, Peru, Oct. 18-28, 2023.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Also in Peru in October, the Church donated equipment to the International Police of Peru — Interpol and equipment to a military school in Trujillo.