General impact report - Winter 2024

An update on MCC projects around the world

Abraham Marial Buol, gardener at Loreto Rumbek School, watering plants in the school’s greenhouse.

South Sudan Iraq — Jan 2024

menu_book Impact report
Education
January 15, 2024

Education for every girl. Period.

Picture of Amida Yunis James, student at Rumbek Comboni Primary School, holds her new dignity kit and school kit she just recieved.
Through your compassionate support, female students across South Sudan, like Amida Yunis James, have dignity kits. These kits are filled with the supplies they need to manage their monthly periods safely and discreetly. (MCC photo/Christy Kauffman)

You're helping young women in South Sudan stay in school, one pad at a time.

In countries like South Sudan, a girl's period is one of the most significant barriers she will face in continuing her education. One-time use pads from stores are prohibitively expensive, and without access to the basic tools to manage their periods with dignity, girls will skip school or even drop out altogether.

With the generous support of donors like you, 1,778 dignity kits have already been assembled and distributed in 2023 to young women across many of the 128 schools in the Rumbek Diocese, the area in which our partner Loreto Rumbek operates. These kits include items like a bucket for storage or washing, hygiene items like soap and a comb, and reusable menstrual pads. 

You're investing in South Sudan's next generation

 

 

 

In South Sudan, there are 2.8 million school-aged children who are not attending school. Access to quality education is a key driver of future economic development, health and the overall well-being of a country. Through our ongoing partnership with Loreto Rumbek, we continue to send material resources — like dignity kits and school kits — and expand food projects to eliminate key barriers to education for children. These initiatives keep them in school so they can head toward a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

Elizabeth Yar Marial peels onions that were grown in the garden of Loreto Rumbek School.
Elizabeth Yar Marial peels onions that were grown in the garden of Loreto Rumbek School. They will be used with canned turkey from MCC for the school's Sunday afternoon meal. (MCC photo/Christy Kauffman)

School supplies for learners

  • With more than 80% of the population of South Sudan living in poverty, most families cannot afford required school supplies like stationery. With the generous support of MCC donors, over 25,000 school kits filled with pens, pencils, notebooks and more have so far been distributed to students across the Diocese of Rumbek through the project. By the end of the project, 75,000 kits of school supplies will have been distributed.

Protein-rich food for students

  • South Sudan is facing one of the worst food insecurity emergencies in the world. Children in South Sudan know a hard truth all too well: you can't learn if you're hungry. MCC donors helped get canned turkey onto the plates of 17,787 students at 23 schools last spring.

Infant care kits for children 

  • More than 75% of children under the age of two in this diocese are behind on their vaccines, leaving them highly susceptible to preventable, and sometimes lethal, diseases. To encourage vaccine uptake, 3,600 infant care kits are currently being provided to families who complete their vaccine program through the local clinic.
Dorothy Amoit eats a meal made with MCC canned turkey.
Dorothy Amoit eats a meal made with MCC canned turkey. Thousands of cans were sent to South Sudan thanks to your support. (MCC photo/Christy Kauffman)

Partner spotlight: Loreto Rumbek

Founded in 2008, Loreto Rumbek is an all-girls secondary school, mixed-gender primary school and Kindergarten and primary health centre in South Sudan. A longstanding partner of MCC in the region, the team at Loreto Rumbek has been critical in distributing your compassionate support to children across 128 schools. With their team's steadfast partnership, food, dignity kits, hygiene kits, school kits and immunizations have been delivered for years to children and families living in areas that have been entrenched in poverty and isolated by conflict.

Food security in northern Iraq: a mid-project progress report

Since the ISIS conflict of 2014, food security has been an ongoing challenge for people in northern Iraq. In response, MCC has been working in partnership with local partner Zakho Small Villages Project to rebuild people's capacity to produce enough food for their families to eat, and to sell at the market as a source of income.

Recently, the focus of the project has shifted toward those who do not have arable land to farm. These 94 community members are being supported with livestock — six sheep — that they can raise on communal grazing lands. With training courses and starter feed packages provided, the goal of the project is for the shepherds to have milk and meat for home, as well as products to sell at markets. 

Sunny Neelam from the MCC team with a one-day-old goat in Tel Kaif, Iraq.
Sunny Neelam from the MCC team with a one-day-old goat in Tel Kaif, Iraq. The goat belongs to a sheep farmer who has built up his knowledge, skills and flock with the generous support of donors through MCC’s account at Canadian Foodgrains Bank. (MCC photo/James Wheeler)

One of the original goals of this phase of the project was to yield $100 USD in monthly income from livestock per household. Participants have already surpassed this goal, yielding an average of $151 USD a month in revenue from these activities.

Ukraine is an MCC country of sensitivity. While this photo has been vetted and may be used without further checking, please consult the MCC content and vetting policy when communicating about countrie

The reach of your collective generosity

In the past fiscal year, the generosity of MCC donors powered compassionate support in 45 countries around the world. Here's a snapshot of the different ways you have supported people facing crisis...

208k

208,149 people received emergency food 

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1.5k

1, 552 households received home repairs or reconstruction support

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62k

62,000 people in Ukraine received humanitarian support

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4k

4,003 people received financial support or rent assistance

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Together, with donors from across Canada, you are caring for people facing incredible hardship and loss.

A legacy of generosity

 

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Jonathan and Liana Toews are leaving a legacy of generosity with a gift to MCC in their will. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan and Liana Toews)

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