General impact report - Summer 2025

An update on MCC projects

A woman in Gaza holds onto a comforter made by MCC volunteers.

Palestine and Israel Egypt Bangladesh — Aug 2025

August 01, 2025

Help for families in Gaza

Your support is reaching those who need it most

“At night, your legs and heart feel like they are going numb because of the cold,” says Khayria* from Gaza. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the [MCC] comforter. I wanted to hold it in my arms and keep my children warm with it.”

Since October 7, 2023, more than 90% of Gaza’s residences have been damaged and 24 hospitals are now out of service. As of June 2025, over 56,000 Palestinians have been killed and 113,000 injured.

With nowhere to flee, an estimated 1.7 million people who have been internally displaced repeatedly are taking refuge in schools, churches, mosques, on the beach and under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Your steadfast support continues to bear witness to the suffering of Palestinians. Through your generosity, MCC partner Al-Najd has distributed relief kits, blankets, infant care kits, clothing, portable gas stoves and food boxes to hundreds of Gaza’s most vulnerable families.

*Last name withheld for security reasons.

Banner photo caption: Khayria* hugs a comforter she received from donors like you. Hundreds of families in Gaza have been touched by your compassionate support, delivered by MCC’s local partner in Gaza, Al-Najd Developmental Forum. (MCC photo/Mahmoud Meqdad)

A warm welcome after a long journey

A coordinator with MCC partner StARS stands in front of a wall. She helps refugees in Cairo who are seeking support. — Salam*, a coordinator with MCC partner StARS , is a friendly face and a wealth of knowledge for refugees seeking support with language barriers, protection issues or medical challenges in Cairo, Egypt. (MCC photo/Roger Anis)

Your support is meeting the needs of refugees in Cairo

Nestled into one of the busiest, noisiest overpasses in Cairo, MCC partner, St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) is a lifeline for thousands of refugees arriving in Egypt. Through StARS, you are helping provide emergency relief, food and medical support for vulnerable families who have recently arrived in Cairo.

Cairo carries much of the weight of displacement in North Africa. Refugees are arriving daily from Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Recently, StARS saw an average of 250 new arrivals per month seeking urgent assistance — including children as young as 10 years old, often travelling alone.

I especially admire the strength of women. We have a lot of single refugee moms who come for support with children, and they do everything for their children.

Leila*

Sudanese REfugee, StARS employee

With your generous support, the team at StARS is equipped to address the immediate, emergency basic needs for refugees and vulnerable migrants who arrive in Cairo seeking safety.

Here’s a snapshot of how you have helped:

145 refugees have received short-term cash support to spend on rent and food.
87 refugees have received cash assistance to stabilize their living situation and purchase goods that help them achieve self-sufficiency.

*Name changed for security reasons.

Partner spotlight: St. Andrew's Refugee Services

St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) was founded in 1979 by Saint Andrew’s United Church in Cairo, Egypt. StARS serves on the frontlines of global displacement. Every day, the team works diligently to improve the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through education, psychosocial, legal and community outreach.

Access to education for every child

Raj Hasda, a primary student in Bangladesh, stands in a field as he makes his way to school in the morning. — Raj Hasda is a primary student at a Multilingual Pre-primary Education (MLPE) school in Bangladesh. Your support helps Raj learn in both his mother tongue and Bangla as he makes the transition to primary school. (MCC photo/James Kisku)

Raj is thriving because of your generosity

Raj and his mother, Jacinta, live in Jogodishpur — a small, remote village surrounded by farmland in western Bangladesh. Their home is part of the Mahale community, one of 45 Indigenous groups in the country.

Eight-year-old Raj attends a government primary school, where his classes are taught in Bangla — a language he doesn’t speak at home. For Raj, who also lives with a speech impediment, this language barrier makes learning especially difficult.

Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Raj’s days now look a little different.

Each afternoon, after attending his government school, he walks to his village’s Multilingual Pre-primary Education (MLE) school — a place where he can learn in his own mother tongue. There, Raj and his classmates are not only gaining academic skills, but also growing in confidence as they prepare to learn in Bangla.

With growing confidence and big dreams of becoming a doctor, Raj is well on his way to fully participating in his education, thanks to your generosity.

Your impact around the world

With your support, MCC’s local partners are delivering critical, practical support to people around the world. Here are a few recent examples of your generosity at work:

Initiative: Because of your compassionate support, 146 migrants near the Mexico- U.S. border received shelter, care, psychosocial support and protection at Casa del Migrante.

Partner: Centro de Atención al Migrante Exodus

Initiative: Your generous support has ensured that 150 orphans and vulnerable children in Juba can go to school. By covering their school fees, you have helped them get into the classroom and connect with teachers, counsellors and staff.

Partner: South Sudan Council of Churches

Initiative: You’ve helped MCC’s partner harness the power of the rainy season in DR Congo. At a school in Kikwit, a new 600-litre rainwater collection tank is providing clean, safe water close to young students.

Partner: Community of Mennonite Brethren Churches in Congo

Initiative: Your generosity has helped improve food security for 2,100 families in rural Nepal. With tools and training, there has been a 40% increase in vegetable production. A better yield improves nutrition and income for families.

Partner: Group of Helping Hands

A donor's family legacy

Legacy donor, JoAnne Janzen, sits in a booth with mug in hand. — “I support MCC with all my heart,” reflects JoAnne Janzen. To honour the life-changing support her own mother received from MCC as a child, JoAnne has left MCC a gift in her will.

As a child, JoAnne Janzen’s mother was provided meals at an MCC soup kitchen in southern Russia (present-day Ukraine) in the 1920s. This personal family connection to MCC instilled a deep sense of gratitude in JoAnne and a commitment to support the organization.

To honour her family’s history, JoAnne has left a gift in her will for MCC. Through her thoughtful generosity, JoAnne will continue to make a difference beyond her lifetime, reaching people around the world with the same compassionate, practical help her mother received over a century ago.

Learn more about how you can leave MCC a gift in your will at mcc.org/legacy