The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has commenced a programme tagged “Support-In-School (SiS) for its teeming youths and non-members alike.
The programme has a thematic objective of helping Nigerian youths to overcome their challenges in Mathematics and English Language while undergoing their Seminary and Institute training.
Support in School is one of the five self-reliance programmes of the church which tend to support its youths and members to pursue different creative skills and vocations that can help them care for their needs and thus become self-reliant.
Speaking on the launch of the project, the Abuja Nigeria Lugbe Stake President, Barrister Obinna Alaribe stated that the programme is targeted at ensuring that the school projects of the youths do not suffer while attending Seminary and Institute classes.
He said that the leaders of the Church have deemed it expedient to ensure the total academic and spiritual welfare of the church youths.
He also stated that the church has extended the same privilege to non-member youths, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
“We want to ensure an overall healthy performance both in spiritual and academic pursuits of our youths and other Nigerian youths. Aside from youth members of the church, it is open to other youths irrespective of their religious affiliations. Ours is a church that strives to make an impact, promote human unity, and help people become self-reliant.
“We believe that children and youths should be encouraged to become better citizens who can compete with their contemporaries elsewhere. We do so by aiding them to acquire skills, knowledge and vocations that can stand them out and help them contribute their quota towards nation-building. We teach that all skills, vocations, and knowledge end at service. Service to God, nationhood, and humanity in general.”
Barr. Alaribe stated that the church has other programmes where members and non-members can acquire skills and vocation free of charge.
“So far, as a church that supports self-reliance activities, we have a programme called “Gathering Place” in our Stake Center, furnished with state-of-the-art learning facilities.
People can come and learn skills such as barbing, hairdressing, tailoring, electrical wiring, pasta-making, graphic designing, coding, and other skills that can help them become self-reliant.
The church also encourages members to go into agriculture and agro-allied businesses. Barrister Alaribe stated that the church’s “Member Food Project” has helped families to grow the food they eat and sell.
Selected members were given seed capital to start agro-allied businesses such as rice and vegetable growing, poultry, and livestock businesses.
The business which is at its pilot stage has recorded a lot of success stories so far.
“As of today, we have about five different on-going projects supported by the Church to encourage members self-reliance quest. We lay emphasis on the temporal and spiritual welfare of members and non-members alike.
“The church has helped members through programmes like Member Food Project, Business in a Box, Academy for Creating Enterprise and many other pro-self-reliance activities.”
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a worldwide Church, with headquarters in Utah State, United States of America with membership cutting across the world.
Founded in 1830 as a religious organization that preaches the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church is known for its charitable activities, human unity, and self-reliance principles.
Many believe that the church’s rating as the richest church in the world stemmed from the Church’s teachings on the virtues of integrity, hard work, and self-reliance activities.