“We are deprived of the Bibles, water, soaps and even food,” writes a representative of the youth organization of a Mennonite Brethren church in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “We are soliciting the accompaniment of your prayers and materials.”
Mennonite World Conference has convened an inter-Anabaptist task force to respond to the current humanitarian crisis in the Eastern part of DRC arising from events of the past weeks.
“We invite your donations to any of our partners to support their response to this urgent need,” says César García, MWC general secretary.
Partners reached a consensus that the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) will take the lead in the response, leveraging their expertise in relief and development.”
Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM), Mennonite Church Canada Witness, Mennonite Mission Network and Multiply are at the table.
MWC extends the invitation to all Anabaptist agencies working in the region to join the coordinated response. “We want to work in a cooperative and collaborative way,” says César García.
MWC member church Communauté des Églises des Frères Mennonites au Congo (CEFMC, Mennonite Brethren) has 34 congregations with more than 4 000 members in the region . At time of writing, CEFMC reports 600 families from their congregations are among the tens of thousands displaced.
Some of the people fleeing the violence are staying in camps in the region. Some have fled to other parts of the country where CEFMC, Communauté Evangélique Mennonite, Communauté Mennonite au Congo and Communauté Mennonite de Kinshasa congregations are offering assistance.
Some have evacuated to nearby countries such as Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania where other Mennonites have been able to provide support.
“The situation requires an urgent response but also a multi-year plan,” says Annie Loewen, MCC interim disaster response director. Food, shelter and hygiene supplies are critical needs now. Over the longer term, trauma healing resource and supplies to restore households will be needed.
“We want to react swiftly to the needs of people in the region, but our response must be coordinated with other partners, to build on each others’ strengths and create synergies,” says Doug Hiebert, Multiply regional team leader for Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Interdependent coordination between international agencies and local churches is crucial for long-term peacebuilding,” says Tigist Tesfaye, Deacons Commission secretary. “Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters. Our solidarity in prayer is a key part of our response as an Anabaptist family.”
Read the pastoral letter to DRC churches and add your own prayerful messages here
Background
As a global community of faith that exists to facilitate relationships between Anabaptist-related churches worldwide, Mennonite World Conference takes the initiative to call its members together for interdependent action when crisis strikes to avoid duplication and ensure cooperation.
Starting in 2017, MWC facilitated collaborative Anabaptist response to disasters around the world. When catastrophic flooding affected 11 Mennonite Brethren congregations in Peru, several Anabaptist agencies were ready to provide assistance. MWC convened a six-month collaborative Anabaptist response between Mennonite Central Committee, MWC, ICOMB and Multiply (then-MB Mission).
MWC brought together seven Anabaptist partners from North America and Europe to coordinate interdependent response to crisis in the Kasaï region of DRC.
Also in 2017, monsoon floods washed through Nepal and parts of India and Bangladesh. Anabaptist partners MCC and Brethren in Community Welfare Society helped families recover their livelihoods, and provided shelter materials and supported repairs to homes.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mennonite World Conference formed a task force with the support of more than 10 global Anabaptist agencies to respond to the needs arising from the pandemic in the Global South.
