{"id":111005,"date":"2025-03-06T20:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T20:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/?p=111005"},"modified":"2026-01-15T06:02:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T06:02:20","slug":"collaborative-response-drc-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mwc-cmm.org\/en\/stories\/collaborative-response-drc-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaborative Anabaptist response to DRC crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe are deprived of the Bibles, water, soaps and even food,\u201d writes a representative of the youth organization of a Mennonite Brethren church in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. \u201cWe are soliciting the accompaniment of your prayers and materials.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe invite your donations to any of our partners to support their response to this urgent need,\u201d says C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda, MWC general secretary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Global Church Sharing Fund<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Partners reached a consensus that the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)<\/a> will take the lead in the response, leveraging their expertise in relief and development.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa Inter-Mennonite Mission (AIMM)<\/a>, Mennonite Church Canada Witness<\/a>, Mennonite Mission Network<\/a> and Multiply <\/a>are at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
MCC<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
AIMM<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
MC Witness<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
MMN<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Multiply<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

MWC extends the invitation to all Anabaptist agencies working in the region to join the coordinated response. \u201cWe want to work in a cooperative and collaborative way,\u201d says C\u00e9sar Garc\u00eda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MWC member church Communaut\u00e9 des \u00c9glises des Fr\u00e8res 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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, Communaut\u00e9 Evang\u00e9lique Mennonite, Communaut\u00e9 Mennonite au Congo and Communaut\u00e9 Mennonite de Kinshasa congregations are offering assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some have evacuated to nearby countries such as Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania where other Mennonites have been able to provide support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe situation requires an urgent response but also a multi-year plan,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe 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\u2019 strengths and create synergies,\u201d says Doug Hiebert, Multiply regional team leader for Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInterdependent coordination between international agencies and local churches is crucial for long-term peacebuilding,\u201d says Tigist Tesfaye, Deacons Commission <\/a>secretary. \u201cPlease continue to pray for our brothers and sisters. Our solidarity in prayer is a key part of our response as an Anabaptist family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the pastoral letter to DRC churches and add your own prayerful messages here<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
A pastoral letter for Anabaptists in DR Congo<\/a><\/blockquote>