Relief impact report - Winter 2024
An update on MCC relief projects
Raising the roof in hurricane - ravaged Cuba
How your support brought comfort and shelter after a storm
In September 2022, Hurricane Ian decimated the western side of Cuba. As a Category 3 storm, it battered the Pinar Del Rio province with 200 kilometre per hour winds and caused widespread destruction.
María Dolores Pérez Páez and her husband Gregorio remember that it felt like the wind came from every direction, all at once. And when the storm passed, their house was destroyed. The roof was gone, and only a few walls were left standing.
MCC partner, Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo, responded immediately with hygiene and sanitation initiatives to meet basic needs for families like María's. A few months later, with the generous support of MCC donors like you, the organization pivoted to address the damage caused by the hurricane — by ensuring safe shelter for 50 families by repairing their badly damaged roofs.
Restoring homes and rebuilding hope in Cuba
By the time the winds from Hurricane Ian died down in 2022, more than 5,270 families were living in temporary shelters, like community centres, schools and churches. Through your compassionate support, a local MCC partner was able to provide safety and security to families deeply impacted by the storm…
50
families affected by Hurricane Ian now have housing that protects them from the elements so they can feel safe.
14
additional families have been supported with other household items to replace those that were damaged in the hurricane like mattresses, kitchen appliances and more.
180
people participated in group therapy sessions to help decrease anxiety, depression and the traumatic psychosocial impacts of the disaster.
We received everything [in the relief package] and I still have it — the towels, the shampoo…I have some soap but I’m using it as little as possible so it lasts. So I thank the people who sent me this, I recognize the effort it took to send it.
María Dolores Pérez Páez
Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Partner spotlight: Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo (CCRD)
Though MCC does not have staff in Cuba, our team is in regular contact with our partner Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo (Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue). The team at CCRD works through local Cuban churches to provide practical relief and clinical counselling for community members — specifically in the wake of disasters.
Your kindness is warming hearts and homes across Ukraine
(Photo courtesy of Agape Ukraine)
With relentless shelling during the war, specifically on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, navigating a cold and brutal winter was made a bit easier through the generosity of MCC donors like you. With local partner Agape Ukraine, 40 families — 149 people total — were given relief from the bitter cold by receiving firewood for cooking and heating all winter long. Agape Ukraine focused their support on families that have a loved one living with them who is living with a disability.
The reach of your collective generosity
Over the last fiscal year, the generosity of MCC donors powered compassionate relief around the world. Here's a snapshot of how you extended a hand of friendship and support to people facing crisis...
208k
208,149 people received emergency food.
1.5k
1,552 households received home repairs or reconstruction support
62k
62,000 people in Ukraine received humanitarian support.
4k
4,003 people received financial support or rent assistance
A legacy of generosity
Jonathan and Liana Toews, from Altona, Man., have supported the work of MCC for many years. Recently, they decided to leave MCC a legacy gift in their will on top of their already generous active support.
Learn more about how you can leave MCC a gift in your will here.
We hope that the wealth we have accumulated can contribute to a better world in some way, to be part of something bigger than us because life itself is a gift. We know that this decision looks different for everyone, but for us, we are happy to leave a gift for MCC in our will.
Jonathan and Liana Toews