The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Wednesday a $25 million donation to UNICEF — a contribution that is being matched, dollar for dollar, by the Bezos family of Amazon fame.
The resulting $50 million will be used to prevent and treat malnutrition in mothers and children around the globe, a current point of emphasis for the Utah-based faith, which holds a publicly reported “rainy day investment fund” worth more than $56 billion.
“Our multiyear focus on maternal and child nutrition is designed to invest directly in the future,” President Camille Johnson, global head of the women’s Relief Society, said in a news release. “By addressing these critical dietary shortages, we are empowering mothers to help their children reach their potential.”
Last year alone, the church helped nearly 2 million children access screening and treatment for malnutrition, and distributed vitamins to more than 21 million mothers and children. Two years earlier, it divvied out $44 million to a host of organizations working to alleviate hunger within these same groups.
The current donation will go to the Child Nutrition Fund, established in 2023 by UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, the United Kingdom and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation. Together, these groups set the goal of raising $2 billion by 2030 to provide nutritional programs to 320 million children and women annually.
Read the full article by Tamarra Kemsley at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.