In North Korea, MCC works with First Steps - a Christian humanitarian organization.  
First Steps seeks to prevent and alleviate childhood malnutrition in North Korea through programs which provide essential nutrients to young children, babies, pregnant, and lactating mothers. First Steps has the rare and privileged opportunity of continuing our humanitarian aid in the DPRK over many years and through many challenges.
 
MCC - Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ!
https://www.firststepscanada.org/soymilk

Imagine walking hours for the water you need for drinking, cooking or cleaning. Thanks to MCC projects, this is changing for many communities around the world.
 
This Christmas, give the gift that changes lives, like the gift of clean water. Learn more by reading through your MCC Gift Guide or visit mcc.org/Christmas
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ

It’s always a good time for Raw Carrot Soup. It’s not raw, and there are many kinds. The top seller is their chicken noodle. Currently you can buy this soup at the MCC Thrift Store on Granthan. After December 19, while the shop is being renovated, Raw Carrot Soup will be available at the Niagara MCC Office at 505 Carlton St.
https://therawcarrot.com/
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ
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Thanks to a long-term effort across MCC offices in Ontario and Zambia, a restorative justice curriculum has been embraced at more than 100 correctional facilities in Zambia and Malawi.
“It has been truly inspiring to see how the concepts of restorative justice approaches and practice have been a catalyst that has sparked a new path forward within the prison systems and communities in Zambia and Malawi,” says Friesen. “This story of change gives me tremendous hope that restorative justice can also be a tool for building peace within our justice systems in Canada.”
Read the full story at https://mcc.org/our-stories/witnessing-seeds-peace-blossom
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ

When Youssef Khater fled Syria with his family nearly two decades ago, he never expected he would find the kind of community he now has at the Kildonan MCC Thrift Shop in Winnipeg, Man.
 
He originally applied to volunteer at the thrift shop as a way to earn some experience that would bolster his resume, but the shop’s volunteer coordinator, Lindsay Dyck, says it was clear quickly that experience or not, Khater had all the qualities an employer would want to see.
 
“When Youssef [who is deaf] started volunteering, even though we couldn’t communicate that easily, it was so clear what a kind, positive and hard-working attitude he has,” she says. “He had been volunteering for a few months when a paid position in our warehouse opened up and it felt like an obvious choice to consider him for that role.”
 
Khater was hired for the position of receiver in the shop's warehouse and has been thriving in the role ever since. Read the full story here. https://mcc.org/our-stories/finding-new-life-winnipeg-thrift-shop
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ
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With MCC’s support, CEFMC (Community of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Congo) drilled a well in Kanzombi in October 2021, a second one in another part of Kikwit in 2022 and another in a third location this past summer.
Even before the third well was completed, the results were dramatic.
“We went from 38% to 9% of waterborne diseases,” says Tangudiki, who coordinates primary health care for displaced people on behalf of CEFMC.
Read the whole story here. https://mcc.org/our-stories/what-gift-clean-water-brings
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ
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Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is responding to the recent events in Palestine and Israel with a call to prayer, emergency food and other relief, and advocacy for a just peace. 
 
“We mourn the tragic deaths of those killed in Palestine and Israel,” says Rick Cober Bauman, MCC Canada Executive Director. “We lament this new wave of conflict and invite churches to pray for the many families whose loved ones have been killed in both Israel and Palestine.”
 
“MCC works with both Israeli and Palestinian partners committed to a just peace in the region,” adds Ann Graber Hershberger, MCC U.S. Executive Director. “We are committed to working toward a future where all Palestinians and Israelis can live together on the land in peace and abundance.”
 
MCC is planning an emergency relief response with existing partners, focused on the immediate humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip, given the vulnerability of the population and lack of resources available to families. The initial response will include distributing food and bedding. In the longer-term, MCC also plans to respond with trauma healing support and housing reconstruction.  
 
You can give by your offering. If by cash, designate the envelope “MCC Palestine Israel.” If by cheque, make the cheque payable to the church and designate “MCC Palestine Israel” on the memo line/envelope. By e-transfer, put “MCC Palestine Israel” in the message box. Any questions? Our treasurer Lorraine would love to help.

​Full story at https://mcc.org/our-stories/mcc-plans-relief-advocates-just-peace-palestine-and-israel
 
You can also give directly at https://mcc.org/donate
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ

At the Mary Ward Primary Health Care Centre outside Rumbek, South Sudan, the piercing sound of a choir of nearly 100 crying infants is not cause for alarm. Rather, the wailing signals something amazing. Every Tuesday, local children arrive at a large tent outside the building to receive their vaccines.
 
The weekly vaccination clinic serves between 80 and 100 infants. Most are on a five-month regimen of immunizations recommended by the World Health Organization, including polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, whooping cough, tuberculosis, diphtheria and rotavirus.
 
The clinic provides around 3,000 infant immunizations each year and serves an area of the Lakes State in South Sudan that encompasses around 24,000 people.
 
In addition to vaccines, Mary Ward offers a fully stocked pharmacy, examination rooms, a recovery unit of hospital beds and a school counselor who can address questions about mental health or puberty.
 
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ
 
https://mcc.org/our-stories/giving-babies-fair-shot
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The MCC Thrift Store (Christian Benefit Shop) has grown into a strong business, forwarding over $450,000 annually to MCC, a testament to the vision, commitment, and perseverance of the hundreds of volunteers who have invested their time to support the work of the Christian Benefit Thrift Shop. 
 
After 14 years, the building we are in has served us well but has become a little tired.  A refresh on the exterior and remodelling inside will put us in a good position to continue to serve our community for years to come. 
 
This project will be partially funded by our Thrift Capital Reserve Fund, but MCC's Donor Relations Team will be working with us to raise $154,000 from donors who may be interested in investing in the future of our Shop.  Donations towards the project can be made at our cash registers in the Shop.  
 
For more information or to contribute, call Tim Albrecht, General Manager, at 905-682-8944 or email
timalbrecht@mcco.ca
 
www.mccthrift.com – Helping People. Helping the Planet

Students like Mer Puok sew dignity kit base units in the sewing class in Loreto secondary school, an MCC partner in South Sudan. These base units are part of the reusable product system provided in the MCC-supplied dignity kits.
For the female students at Loreto Rumbek, MCC dignity kits are incredibly valuable. Store-bought products are prohibitively expensive and often hard to access, but the reusable and products in the kits mean girls and women don’t have to waste money on unsustainable solutions. The other items included in the dignity kit, like the soap and comb, are valuable personal hygiene items that are also expensive and hard to find. Even the bucket the kit comes in becomes a valuable storage container.
To learn more about dignity kits, visit mcc.org/get-involved/kits/dignity
MCC – Relief, development, and peace in the name of Christ