Relief, development and podcast

Myanmar has been in crisis since the military seized power again in 2021. Distributing aid is dangerous, so MCC's partners in the region face significant challenges. Meet Mr. Khong (not using his real name for security reasons), an MCC partner in Myanmar. He shares how he is navigating these dangerous conditions, talks about the moral obligation he feels as a peace worker, the livelihoods being impacted, families fleeing from their homes, the unpredictability of the army and the constant worry about being a target. "Being meaningful to my country, being meaningful to my community, that can’t be measured," he says. Full transcript available here.

Part two of the conversation with Jonathan Kuttab and Alain Epp Weaver focuses stories of Palestinian nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. We also hear stories from Jad Issac, the director general of the Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ), an MCC partner of over 40 years. Give and advocate through MCC here Transcript

Gaza has seen so much devastation over the last few months. In this episode we are joined by Palestinian human rights lawyer and former MCC volunteer, Jonathan Kuttab, as well as Alain Epp Weaver, director of MCC's planning learning and disaster response department, to talk about the current situation and the history that has brought us to this point. MCC has continued to respond through local partners, Seth Malone and Sarah Funkhouser , MCC representatives for Jordan, Palestine and Israel, tell us how. Give and advocate through MCC here Mennonite Action Transcript

Meet the engineer behind Score Against Poverty’s fuel-efficient stoves used in Mwenezi, Zimbabwe. Cynthia discusses the importance of the community being involved in the design. You’ll hear how the collaborations of the community of women, the engineer and the local artisan all a part of making the stoves efficient, sustainable and easy to use. Cynthia says, “If you involve them you know that the rate of failure is low and you know that the model that you are going to design or make you are sure that the women will be using it” Full transcript here

In his book “The High Mountains of Portugal,” Yann Martel writes... “Love is a house with many rooms, this room to feed the love, this one to entertain it, this one to clean it, this one to dress it, this one to allow it to rest, and each of these rooms can also just as well be the room for laughing or the room for listening or the room for telling one’s secrets or the room for sulking or the room for apologizing or the room for intimate togetherness, and, of course, there are the rooms for the new members of the household. Love is a house in which plumbing brings bubbly new emotions every morning, and sewers flush out disputes, and bright windows open up to admit the fresh air of renewed goodwill. Love is a house with an unshakable foundation and an indestructible roof.” In this episode, we’re bringing you a story about a house. A house that belongs to author Yann Martel and now houses newcomers. We explore what it takes to sponsor a refugee family. How it takes a village. A community. A network of people working together, using their strengths. How anyone can get involved with the resources, time or skills they have to offer. We speak with Yann and a number of people connected to the home he gifted—a family member who was once a refugee herself, someone from the sponsorship group and a neighbour. Full transcript available here.

One person said it “looked like a goat wearing a goat costume.” MCC staff Colin Friesen said it looks kinda like a bantha from Star Wars, but less hairy and also kind of like a camel? On this episode of the podcast we explore the mystery...of why the Damascus goat looks the way it does and why an MCC partner in Lebanon chose to distribute this goat. Full show notes 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.

On this episode, an interview with a partner in Afghanistan who is teaching women to read in country where that’s become increasingly difficult since the Taliban took control. We're not using the name of the guest or the partner for security reasons. Full transcript and show notes available here.

We’re taking a break from the usual programming to bring you an episode from our sibling podcast Undercurrents, produced by MCC Ontario and hosted by the very wonderful Ken Ogasawara. In this episode, Ken speaks with best-selling author, public speaker and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell. They cover a lot of ground—from pacifism, to soccer, climate change and more. This episode has been edited for length. Full transcript available here: https://mcc.org/sites/mcc.org/files/media/rdp_episode_41-malcolm_gladwell_0.pdf

“There [will] always be hope somewhere but now, everything is destroyed. There are still areas that were not affected directly, not destroyed but the people there are destroyed from inside.” Today on the show, an update from MCC staff Petra Antoun in Syria on the aftermath of the earthquakes and how MCC is responding. Full transcript and show notes available here.

In this episode we bring you to the Mwenezi district of Zimbabwe to a program that cooks up more than just food...they’re also...stirring up the patriarchy! A story of what happened when Zimbabweans from MCC’s local partner SCORE Against Poverty came together to create a program that addresses gender inequities in their community. The program is called Men Can Cook! Full transcript and show notes available here.

On this bonus episode, on-the-ground interview clips and audio diaries from Emily Loewen's recent trip to Ukraine. Emily is the head producer of this podcast and MCC Canada’s marketing and communications manager. Full transcript available here.

A gift of a pig can bring peace in a household, but how? Today on the episode we speak with Mary Ilero, a recipient of a pig from MCC’s partner in rural Uganda. Many MCC supporters have participated in Christmas giving this past year and so we wanted to share Mary's story so you can see the impact a small gift can have. We hear first-hand from Mary how a pig and the support of an MCC partner can make a difference. Read more about Mary's story here. Transcript