Relief, development and podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Rediscovering black history in Appalachian coal town, MCC staff in Kimball West Virginia piece together a story of a Black owned hospital that used to sit on the site of the current Appalachia Build program site.

mcc.org/dismukes

Dismukes project cordinator Tylah Cline tylahcline@mcc.org

Transcript

Bruce Guenther remembers his grandma describing the smell of the bread at the MCC soup kitchen in Ukraine. She received food from MCC over 100 years ago. Today, Bruce helps coordinate MCC's relief response, getting food and other basic needs to those who need it most.

View full transcript here.

"A ceasefire and a just end to the occupation, is the biggest need. There, of course, are enormous humanitarian needs, you know, water, food, fuel, electricity have all been cut off to the entirety of Gaza...But the real need is for a solution so that everyone can live peacefully on the land."

Sarah Funkhouser is one of MCC's representatives in Jerusalem, along with her husband Seth Malone. They join the podcast to provide some important context for the recent escalation in violence in the Middle East and to share how MCC's partners are responding. 

Pastor Ashraf Tannous shares a powerful message to Christians in the West, along with a prayer.

Full transcript and show notes available here. 

Meet the South Sudanese sewing group that has become so much more. The women, living in Canada now, are sewing comforters and putting together dignity kits for MCC that will be sent to their home country. 

The founder, Rebecca Deng, shares her personal story of living through the South Sudanese civil war, and how she created the community she wishes she'd had.

Transcript and shownotes available here.

Reusable pads, along with other hygiene tools in a bucket, can make a big difference in a girl’s life. It can be a part of keeping her in school and adding to her education. At Loreto Rumbek School in South Sudan, Anne Kuria shines some light on the bigger context of why these simple hygiene tools are needed and impact they have.

Get involved https://mcc.org/get-involved/kits/dignity

Transcript

What does it take for an internally displaced person in DR Congo to become stable?

Reverend Antoine Kimbila, general secretary of the Community of Mennonite Brethren Churches in the Democratic Republic of Congo, shares about the needs of this growing community in Kikwit and how the church is supporting those who have been displaced by violence in Kasai.

Full transcript here

Water impact report

"For those of you listening to this podcast, I want you to imagine this was happening to your family."

The global hunger rate began climbing in 2019 and grew exponentially with the arrival of the pandemic, escalating climate disasters and the invasion of Ukraine. Today on the show, an update on the hunger crisis. 

Our guest today is Andy Harrington––executive director of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, also known as CFGB. 

You may remember Andy from when we spoke with him around this time last year. We wanted to check back in with him after a new report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World was released earlier this month.

Brad Quiring, MCC Canada’s donor engagement manager, hosts this episode.

Full transcript and show notes available here.

A rebroadcast of our sibling podcast Undercurrents. In this episode, host Ken Ogasawara joins Colleen Hookimaw, a Cree woman, who shows him the lay of the (physical and metaphorical) land. We also hear from Bill Loutitt, who shares his lifelong journey with traditional Indigenous foods. Together, they explore historical, and current challenges to Indigenous food sovereignty in Canada.

Full transcript available here.

Seeing humanity on every side of the world, and every side of the wall.  In this episode Anthony reflects on his visit to the U.S. Mexico border wall as a Palestinian who lives next to the wall when he is at home Bethlehem. As a Palestinian Christian he has had a unique experience sharing his story in the U.S. this year and is working to help people understand what life has been like for him and his family in Palestine.  We ask the question, what does peace and justice look like for Palestine? 

Anthony has also used the English transliteration for his last name, so you may have seen his name spelled "Khair" rather than the Spanish one he uses, "Jeer".

Learn more about MCC’s work in Palestine/Israel here

Transcript here

El Salvador has been dealing with a lot of gang violence over the past several decades. In response, the President announced the state of exception. While gang violence has quieted since then, another issue has arisen. 

People are being arrested and taken away from their communities with no explanation or evidence. People have no recourse because the government is above the law. The most impacted are the country’s youth. 

Today on the show, we hear from some young people in El Salvador. They share their struggles under the state of exception and what they’re doing about it. How they’re fighting stereotypes and working to build community. MCC’s local partner is supporting the youth as best they can.  

Full transcript available here.