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Mennonite Central Committee

Relief, development and peace in the name of Christ

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Mennonite Central Committee

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) shares God's love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice.

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Happy Birthday, MCC! 

It's been 100 years since we first started responding to basic human needs in southern Russia (present-day Ukraine). Now, we continue to work for relief, development and peace all over the world. 

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To mark 100 years of sharing God’s love and compassion, and your generosity and partnership through the decades, we invite you to explore stories from MCC’s decades of work around the world.

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MCC Canada
MCC Canada
134 Plaza Dr.
Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9
Canada
Office: (844) 732-2346
Toll Free: (877) 684-1181
Fax: (204) 269-9875
canada@mcccanada.ca
News media contact: Media coordinator
134 Plaza Drive
Winnipeg, MB R3T 5K9
Canada
Office: (844) 732-2346
media@mcccanada.ca

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  5. Annual Impact Report 2020/2021
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2020/2021
Annual Impact Report

  • Alberta
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Greetings from MCC Canada executive director


Thank you for being part of the MCC story.


  • Where we work
  • National highlights
  • Financials

Where we work

A map of the countries where MCC works

Learn more about where MCC works around the world.

47
Countries
385
Partners
508
Projects
968
Workers

National program highlights


  • Food

  • Relief

  • Education

  • Water

  • Health

  • Peace and Justice

  • Migration

  • Global Service Learning

  • Material Resources

  • MCC Thrift shops


Food


You can’t help but smile when you see Josephine Mwikali Mutinda smile. And for her to be smiling after harvest season in rural Kenya is not something to take for granted.

Read More

Climate change is negatively impacting farmers like Josephine, drastically affecting the rainy seasons that are vital to growing healthy crops.

Add to that a global pandemic that disrupted trade and economic stability in the area and many farmers have nothing to smile about.

But Josephine had some help this year—from you. Through MCC’s account at Canadian Foodgrains Bank, your donations equipped an MCC partner in Kenya to help Josephine diversify her farm and adapt to some of the environmental challenges she is facing.

She planted a wider variety of crops to increase her chances of good yields. This year, in addition to her successful maize harvest, she also brought in a bountiful mango crop. She also started raising chickens and rabbits, so she’s less reliant on her crops and can supplement her income in the event of a poor harvest.

On average, it costs $2.92 to provide farmers like Josephine with the seeds they need to plant crops for the year. Because of you, she, and hundreds of farmers like her, got the support they needed to provide for themselves this year while setting up
for a more successful crop next year.

“Diversifying farms with livestock production lessens farmers’ dependence on a single crop or harvest and gives them access to different markets.”- Michael Adeola, MCC food security and livelihoods coordinator

Learn more and donate to MCC’s food projects



Food program highlights

61,791
People attended training in improved agriculture and animal production methods.
28,468
People received agricultural supplies including seeds and tools.
26%
Average increase in yearly income for a group of farmers in Nepal after learning new techniques.
86.8%
Of participants eat two or more meals a day (up from 40 per cent) thanks to an agriculture project in Ethiopia.

 

 



More food stories

The great Mwenezi cook-off
The great Mwenezi cook-off
Canning meat for the world
Canning meat for the world
A new way to grow
A new way to grow
Storing seeds for the future
Storing seeds for the future
Worldwide impact, global response
Worldwide impact, global response


Relief


“We are now able to cook and make meals for our children.”- Alice Joubanian, Lebanon

Read More

The explosion came with almost no warning. The devastating blast wave in Beirut, Lebanon, ripped a huge portion of the city to shreds. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands more were injured. Nearly 300,000 people had nowhere to go—their homes reduced to rubble and shattered glass.

The city’s food supply was greatly diminished, and hospitals were overflowing with wounded, as a city already brought to the brink by the global pandemic desperately called for help.

A call you answered. You, and thousands of compassionate Canadians, came together to reach across the world and care for a hurt and grieving city. You contributed to MCC’s $2.3 million emergency response in Beirut.

Your incredible generosity helped provide monthly food support to 1,300 families, give hygiene vouchers to 750 families, fix 75 homes and businesses and provide trauma care to 270 children and adults.

“Though the emergency stage has passed, many of those needs remain the same and are now worsened by the severe economic crisis Lebanon is witnessing,” says Tala Itani, peacebuilding advisor for MCC Lebanon. “We thank everyone who contributed to the emergency response.”

Learn more and donate to MCC relief projects



Relief program highlights

161,046
People received emergency food assistance.
65,005
People received locally purchased emergency relief items, including clothing, kitchen items and bedding.
1,231
Households received home repairs or reconstruction.
1,194
People received financial support or rent assistance.

 

 



More relief stories

"Thank you for not leaving us alone"
"Thank you for not leaving us alone"
Beirut explosion: one year later
Beirut explosion: one year later
“Bombardments were everywhere”
“Bombardments were everywhere”
Boxes of food help people affected by Beirut explosion
Boxes of food help people affected by Beirut explosion
Caring for uprooted people | DR Congo | Video
Caring for uprooted people | DR Congo | Video


Education


Sarothi Pahan wanted to be a teacher. But after finishing her primary school education, that dream seemed impossible. Sarothi has polio. Even though Bangladesh was declared polio-free in 2014, many remote areas, like Sarothi’s home of Vutahara, struggled to access vaccines.

Read More

That infection caused a serious physical disability in Sarothi’s legs, greatly limiting how far she’s able to walk. And because there are no high schools near Vutahara, her dream of teaching others was being pulled out of her reach.

Now, thanks to your generosity, Sarothi’s dream is on track to become a reality. An MCC partner in the area connected her to a group home for children with disabilities in a nearby city. The cost to support one student here for a year is $112—beyond the financial capacity of her family. But because of you, Sarothi’s room and board, food
and education costs are fully covered, allowing her to pursue her education at a nearby high school.

You’ve given Sarothi the ability to make her own choices about her future. She’s now in Grade 10 and is one the top students in her class. Her dream of sharing a love of education with others is becoming more her reality every day because of you.

“MCC’s partners provide quality access to education for children who wouldn’t have that opportunity due to violence, poverty, gender, ethnicity or disability.”- Lynn Longnecker, MCC education coordinator

Learn more and donate to MCC education projects



Education program highlights

13,816
Children and youth participated in K-12 education supported by MCC.
2,238
Children received scholarships or tuition support.
87%
Of children in an after-school tutoring program in Guatemala passed all their courses—a 71 per cent increase from the beginning of the project.
88%
Of students who received tuition support at a school in Syria finished with average grades above 75 per cent.

 

 



More education stories

Into the next century
Into the next century
Making mouneh | Syria | Video
Making mouneh | Syria | Video
Supporting local voices | Video
Supporting local voices | Video
Looking toward the future
Looking toward the future
Increasing education through sand dams | Kenya
Increasing education through sand dams | Kenya


Water


When Ayalew Misgan was very young, there was no clean water at home. He lives in western Amhara, Ethiopia, where for much of his life, the water nearby wasn’t safe to drink. The only water sources were shallow open-pit wells or small ponds that the local wildlife also drank from.

Read More

As a result, women had to walk hours in either direction to collect water that was only sometimes safer to drink. These long walks could be dangerous and exhausting. Often, young girls missed time at school to assist their mothers in water-gathering.

But your caring support has drawn clean, safe water up from the ground for Ayalew and his whole village. Your support allowed an MCC partner to dig wells deep enough to reach safe, clean water. For the cost of $5,200, one of these pumps provides an easy-to-access supply of drinking water free from disease or bacteria.

“Our life in the past had made us vulnerable to many problems. Now, we are able to fetch and use safe water here from our village, near our homes. From this time onwards, we have no worry of [getting sick],” says WorkuAbebe Chinais, who lives in the same community as Ayalew.

 Learn more and donate to MCC water projects



Water program highlights

18,638
People now have access to an improved water source.
9,660
People received access to a new or improved latrine or sanitation facility.
294
Drinking water systems constructed or repaired.
92
Water harvesting structures for irrigation constructed or repaired.

 

 



More water stories

A harvest of water
A harvest of water
What is a tippy tap? | Kenya
What is a tippy tap? | Kenya
Water, sanitation and hygiene in Chad | Video
Water, sanitation and hygiene in Chad | Video
New pumps bring fresh water for COVID-19 prevention in Chad
New pumps bring fresh water for COVID-19 prevention in Chad
New latrines and water systems strengthen health and dignity
New latrines and water systems strengthen health and dignity


Health


For most of her life, the only option Floride Murhimanya M’nkwale had to relieve herself was to use a hole in the ground. Her village, known as Mosho II, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) didn’t have running water or bathroom facilities.

Read More

As she got older, it was a greater challenge for her to use these safely—two planks of wood don’t make a very stable platform. Digging a hole more than a few metres deep is challenging, but a shallow pit will attract disease-spreading insects and fill up in a matter of months. It’s an unhealthy and dangerous cycle.

But your compassion broke that cycle. Thanks to you, an MCC partner in DR Congo
has installed brand new latrines in Mosho II, including one at Floride’s home. It costs $252 to build a latrine like this. Now there’s no smell, no risk of waste infecting water supplies and no danger of her falling and hurting herself. Floride also received a rain barrel in her home to collect rainwater that she can use for cooking and washing dishes or hands.

“We are old now,” says Floride, 66. “We don’t have strength to dig the toilet over and over again. But the water is helping us, especially when it rains. We are sure we’ll have water all the time.”

“This type of basic infrastructure for safe handwashing and waste disposal is essential for preventing the spread of new infectious diseases.”- Paul Shetler Fast, MCC global health coordinator

Learn more and donate to MCC health projects



Health program highlights

37,450
People received direct clinical care.
118,933
People received hygiene items, including menstrual supplies.
88%
Of participants in one mental health project in Palestine and Israel experienced significant reductions in stress and other symptoms.
20x
More people washed their hands at community gathering sites in Zimbabwe's Mwenezi district following a health-messaging project.

 

 



More health stories

Coronavirus update from DR Congo
Coronavirus update from DR Congo
MCC Canada: We must commit to a just global vaccine distribution
MCC Canada: We must commit to a just global vaccine distribution
MCC launches new menstrual hygiene dignity kit
MCC launches new menstrual hygiene dignity kit
Suffering on suffering
Suffering on suffering
MCC distributes COVID-19 kits in Middle East
MCC distributes COVID-19 kits in Middle East


Peace and Justice


“The advocacy offices have been meeting with partners on the ground—they’re hearing from people directly engaged in this work. These monthly exchanges give partners hope.”- Joan Alty, MCC representative for Jordan, Palestine and Israel

Read More

Everyone needs a home. Somewhere to feel safe and secure where their basic needs are met. Somewhere to come and go freely where they can imagine a future. But that is not the reality for Palestinians—or even for some Israelis.

MCC Canada’s A Cry for Home campaign has been educating and advocating for action to end the illegal occupation of Palestine and create safe, just and peaceful communities for all Palestinians and Israelis.

Your faithful support has empowered MCC to raise the voices of our partners in Palestine and Israel to the highest levels of government in Canada.

Our advocates have been meeting with members of Parliament and citizens across Canada, carrying the stories of the people on the ground. You’ve enabled us to meet with government officials, rally Anabaptist and other faith groups together and equip all Canadians with tools to let their voices be heard to say we need a just peace in Palestine and Israel.

Visit the Peace & Justice Office

Learn more and donate to MCC peace projects



Peace and justice program highlights

15,441
People trained in conflict transformation, peacebuilding or mediation.
162
Peace Clubs active this year.
36
Peace Clubs and restorative justice units operating in prisons in Zambia.
85%
Of participants in a youth peacebuilding program in Cambodia say they've changed their behaviour toward "the other."

 

 



More peace and justice stories

Peace behind prison bars
Peace behind prison bars
Webinar: Migration for human dignity | Video
Webinar: Migration for human dignity | Video
Women working for peace
Women working for peace
Peace: A thread woven through MCC’s ministry
Peace: A thread woven through MCC’s ministry
A journey of bold listening
A journey of bold listening


Migration


Shadi Alkhannous knows what it’s like to land at an airport in Canada without knowing a single person. That’s why he joins refugee sponsor groups as often as he can to greet newcomers who are walking out of the airport into Canada. He knows firsthand the comfort of hearing a familiar language.

Read More

Shadi arrived in Canada from Syria in October 2016. Along with his wife Sultana and his children Ghazal and Hussein, they escaped a dangerous conflict zone and made a new home in St. Catharines, Ont.

Shadi quickly found a job at a grocery store called Alnoor Halal Food Market. Last year, he opened a take-out and delivery counter in the store, offering meals like beef kabab and chicken shawarma. Even during the pandemic, when the food counter can be open safely, lines at the take-out window are a common sight.

And he wouldn’t be here without you. It’s your support that has enabled MCC Canada to resettle more than 13,000 refugees in Canada over the last 42 years.

Now that he’s in Canada, Shadi and his wife have helped other newcomers find sponsors for family members still living as refugees. Shadi says it very simply—he likes to help people however he can. “When people call me, I’m happy to do what I can for them,” he says. “I do the same as people did for me when I came new.”

Learn more and donate to MCC refugee sponsorship program

Advocate for people on the move



Migration program highlights*

80
Refugees came to Canada through MCC's sponsorship program.
12
Arrived from Eritrea.
12
Arrived from Iraq.
32
Arrived from Syria.
9
Arrived from Palestine.
15
Arrived from other countries such as DR Congo, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Iran, Sudan.

 


*Please note that migration numbers were reduced due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. These numbers only include arrivals into Canada.



More migration stories

Resettled refugees support from the front lines during COVID-19
Resettled refugees support from the front lines during COVID-19
MCC refugee resettlement helps keep kids in schools
MCC refugee resettlement helps keep kids in schools
Caring for uprooted people | DR Congo | Video
Caring for uprooted people | DR Congo | Video
Hut Build | DR Congo | Video
Hut Build | DR Congo | Video
Trauma healing through food | Syria | Video
Trauma healing through food | Syria | Video


Global Service Learning

Ela Castro smiling at a desk
Dr. Ela Castro always knew she wanted to spend her life serving those in need. By all outward appearances, this is what she was doing. She’d studied for years to earn her medical degree. She was working at a health-care clinic. She was helping people—but something was missing.

Read More

It wasn’t until she took a step of faith that she truly felt like she’d found her purpose. Through her church, Ela decided to try a one year term of service with Young Anabaptist Mennonite Exchange Network (YAMEN) and was placed at a ministry serving migrants in Guatemala.

“YAMEN is a great place for people to confirm their gift and their call, and for me it was proof that I can do something different than other doctors are called to do,” she says. She also says her time with YAMEN played a pivotal role in her faith formation
and in planning what is next for her life.

“It was my Gethsemane,” says Ela. “It was an opportunity for me to experience my faith by myself without the support of my mom and dad and closer family.”

Learn more about MCC's global exchange programs

Serve with MCC



More global service learning stories

Called to care, equipped to serve
Called to care, equipped to serve


Material Resources

MCC Canada


Abdel* and his family received an MCC relief kit and comforters that were packed and sewn by MCC volunteers. These supplies provided his family with important basic necessities and the knowledge that people across the world were thinking of them.

Read More

Abdel and his family have had a very challenging few years. They’ve been forced to abandon two homes because of the constant threat of violence in Syria. They’re living in Homs, Syria, now—Abdel, his parents and his five siblings—in a house that desperately needs repairs to withstand the rainy winter months.

But your caring support offered warmth to Abdel on the coldest of nights.

He and his family received an MCC relief kit and comforters that were packed and sewn by MCC volunteers. These supplies provided his family with important basic necessities and the knowledge that people across the world were thinking of them.

“Here the light of Christ shines through MCC. [The kits] we received today will paint a smile on my wife and children’s faces.”- Laith Bajaji, an Iraqi refugee in Jordan

*Name changed for security reasons.

Learn more and donate to MCC Material Resources

MCC Canada

Material resources shipped last year

550,440
Canned meat (lbs).
51,549
School kits.
77,240
Hygiene kits.
45,787
Comforters.
21,792
Relief kits.
5,812
Infant care kits.
1,600
Sewing kits.

 

 



MCC Thrift shops

MCC Canada


This year saw a major disruption to MCC Thrift shops across the country. But the staff and volunteers who operate our shops worked tirelessly to ensure shoppers got as close to a regular experience as they could.

Read More

Ruth Jantz, manager of the Sargent MCC Thrift shop in Winnipeg, MB, says the flexibility of volunteers made a challenging situation much more manageable. “They’ve been great at adapting to the changes in their schedules, filling the gaps and figuring out a new routine,” says Ruth. “They’re eager to continue as much as they can.”

And for volunteers like Pearl Plohman, her time at a thrift shop was also a way for her to connect. “MCC has been a lifeline for me [during the pandemic],” she says. “God made us to be sociable creatures, so you do need contact with people.”

Learn more about MCC Thrift shops

Follow MCC Thrift on Facebook and Instagram

MCC Canada

Thrift program highlights

$12,387,000
Donated by MCC Thrift shops in Canada and the U.S. to support the work of MCC in the 2020/2021 fiscal year.

 

 

Financials

MCC Canada financials

The financial information on this page represents the operations of MCC Canada for the year ended March 31 2021 and has been prepared from the audited financial statements. Complete audited financial statements are available at mcccanada.ca/annual-reports


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CRA #: 107690877