26 July 2025, 3:00 p.m. MDT
A donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is helping dozens of immigrants and refugees in Canada rebuild the careers they trained for — offering not just financial assistance, but a renewed sense of purpose, dignity and hope.
The Church’s CAD $300,000 (U.S. $220,000) donation to Windmill Microlending, a nonprofit that provides low-interest loans to immigrants and refugees, is enabling at least 60 skilled individuals to pursue professional recredentialing in Canada, reported the Church’s Canada Newsroom.
These microloans allow recipients to obtain licensing, retraining or exams necessary to work in their chosen fields.
When credentials don’t cross borders
Leeja Benoy, a nurse from India, poses for a photo after receiving a microloan from Windmill Microlending, thanks to a donation from the Church. She became a registered nurse in Calgary, Canada, in 2025. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Leeja Benoy, a nurse from India with over 15 years of experience, was unable to practice when she moved to Canada. Without Canadian credentials, her professional skills went unused — until she connected with Windmill. Today, she’s a registered nurse in Calgary.
Sandy Marett, national director of philanthropy at Windmill, said, “For many newcomers to Canada, like Leeja, the journey to professional success is filled with unexpected roadblocks. Despite arriving with training and years of experience, systemic barriers can prevent skilled immigrants from working in their trained professions.”
Windmill offers loans of up to CAD$15,000 (U.S. $11,000) to help recipients transition from meager wages to meaningful careers that match their training and education, according to the Canada Newsroom report.
Most recipients repay their loans within four years, and with a 95% repayment rate, Windmill’s model allows each donation to bless lives for years to come.
Elder James E. Evanson, General Authority Seventy and soon-to-be second counselor in the Canada Area, said, “These loans become more than a monetary opportunity. There is power in self-reliance and that power lifts us to our potential.”
The Windmill Microlending team poses for a photo at a gathering in Toronto, Canada, in 2024. Thanks to a donation from the Church, Windmill will be able to give 60 microloans to refugees and immigrants. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Rebuilding lives, reviving dreams
Windmill Microlending was founded thanks to the vision of the late Dr. Maria Eriksen, a Calgary-based psychologist who noticed that many of her hospital’s janitors were internationally educated professionals.
Moved to action, she helped establish the Immigrant Access Fund — now Windmill Microlending — to offer practical solutions to these barriers, reported Canada Newsroom.
Since then, Windmill has helped over 14,000 individuals from more than 150 countries. This year alone, more than 2,600 loans have been distributed.
Clients triple their incomes on average after re-credentialing, according to Canada Newsroom. Many go on to fill critical labor shortages in areas like health care, law and engineering.
Most Windmill clients are high-demand professionals:
33% are dentists14% are physicians10% are pharmacists5% are nurses4% are lawyers
Yasemin Mamaloglu, a refugee from Turkey and once a lawyer, is working to pass the bar exam this fall. Thanks to a donation by the Church, Mamaloglu was able to get a microloan from Windmill Microlending that went schooling at the University of Toronto in Canada in 2025. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
There are already success stories from the Church’s donation, Canada Newsroom highlighted.
Yasemin Mamaloglu, a refugee from Turkey and a lawyer, is currently studying law at the University of Toronto and preparing to take the bar exam in the fall. Teleola Aderiye, originally from Nigeria, received a CAD $7,000 loan to pursue pharmacist licensure in Ontario.
A shared mission to lift and empower
The Church’s collaboration with Windmill brings shared values of education, self-reliance and community development, reported Canada Newsroom.
Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited members in April 2016 general conference to “share with [refugees], from our abundance, hope for a brighter future, faith in God and in our fellowman, and love that sees beyond cultural and ideological differences to the glorious truth that we are all children of our Heavenly Father.”
As Windmill’s model reinvests repaid loans into future borrowers, the Church’s one-time gift can continue to bless lives after the first 60 newcomers are helped.