For more than 16 years Leonie Lwamba maintained hope that one day she would see her husband Stephane again.
Local partners use donated funds to obtain, distribute food, water, blankets.
In Ethiopia, MCC is assisting Somali refugees fleeing famine and political instability and Ethiopians affected by the ongoing drought and food crisis in East Africa.
East Africa drought update report
A project that provides goats to drought-stricken Maasai families fosters the value of working together, leading to many more community projects.
Dahir and her children were part of a group that arrived recently in Dhobley, a town in Somalia near the border with Kenya.
A recent 480 kilometre bicycle tour in Kenya that included one of Canada’s most decorated Olympian has given peace clubs in Kenya a welcome boost.
WINNIPEG, Man.—Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has surpassed its initial target of raising $1 million for the East Africa drought and is now expanding its response to the continuing crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
Students of Menno Kids Academy, a MCC Global Family Project, sing during worship at Mathare North Mennonite Church in a slum area of Nairobi, Kenya. (MCC Photo/Matthew Lester)
MCC is developing resources for congregational use to create awareness of and encourage reflection on the crisis in East Africa. Continue to check this page for additional resources.
Prayer for East Africa – July 2011
By Angelika Dawson
Leader: Gracious God , we come before you today, grateful for all that we have, mindful that all of it comes from You. We come before you in prayer today, not only for ourselves but for those in need in East Africa. Lord, in your mercy…
People: Hear our prayer
L: Creator God, in the beginning your formed the heavens and the earth. You separated the waters and formed the clouds, created the rivers and seas, the wide oceans. You have watered the earth and set the sun in the heavens to shine and bring forth harvests. For all that comes from your hand, we give you thanks and praise. Lord in your mercy…
P: Hear our prayer
L: Generous God, we come to you in this time of need in East Africa. Just as the people of Israel came to you in times of drought, we draw near to you in prayer for the parched lands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. We pray for the people of East Africa, for the millions of women, men and children who hunger and thirst. Look down upon this dry earth and send your clouds of water, just as you rain down your love upon our hearts. Lord, in your mercy…
P: Hear our prayer
L: Forgiving God, we confess that we do not always know how to respond to stories of great need, stories of desperation of people so far away from us. Forgive us when we are overwhelmed by all that we see and hear on the news. Lord in your mercy…
P: Hear our prayer
L: Compassionate God, help us to see the world as you see it. Be our guide, help us to respond to the needs around us in meaningful ways, knowing that what we do for the least of these we do it unto you. Lord in your mercy…
P: Hear our prayer
All: in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.
Donations to MCC's response to the East Africa crisis can be made here.
Additional resources:
Canadian Foodgrains Bank, of which MCC Canada is a member, has also created a series of prayers and litanies for churches and individuals to reflect on when considering the crisis in East Africa. Click here to view the resources they have available.
Donations to the East Africa drought may also be made to MCC's account at the Foodgrains Bank by indicating 'MCC account' on the donation.
Installation of latrines continues in Dollo Ado camps in Ethiopia.
Flow of refugees to Ethiopian camps rising
Updated, June 8, 2012
The number of refugees arriving at camps in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia, has increased sharply in the past month.
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is working with Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to provide water and sanitation services, as well as skills training in Dollo Ado.
LFW is reporting an unexpected increase in refugees, with as many as 620 arrivals daily.
Dan Leonard, MCC’s representative in the area, says many of the refugees are from Somalia and at this point there’s no clear explanation for the surge in numbers. He says refugees come to the camps on the southeastern tip of Ethiopia for a variety of reasons, including poor seasonal rains and conflict.
MCC has dedicated $1.1 million to projects in Dollo Ado. Representatives with LWF say they are working to keep up with the rising number of refugees. LWF is currently building latrines and digging trenches for a permanent water supply in Bur-Amino, one of the camps in Dollo Ado.
MCC's response
(Updated April 3, 2012)
Ethiopia
- Emergency food assistance to over 83,000 people, including emergency food rations as well as supplementary food (famix) for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children
- Cash and food-for-work during the hunger season. Community work includes tree planting, terracing, seed banks, promotion of self-help groups and more
Kenya
- Emergency food-for-work projects for 4,740 families in semi-arid Kenya supporting sand dam communities
- Emergency food assistance for 8,400 drought-affected families, including pastoralist families in northwest Kenya
Somalia
(Internally displaced people and refugees)
1. Dhobley near the Kenya border
- Food vouchers
- Water and non-food items
2. The Dollo Ado camps in southeast Ethiopia
- Improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene.
- Supporting income generation activities, such as gardening, poultry production, and soil conservation projects.
3. The Dadaab refugee camps in northeast Kenya
- 20,000 school kits, 600 blankets and 6,316 mosquito nets.
- Improving quality of education and access to education.
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