Refugee and Newcomers Assistance Program

Helping Refugees "In the Name of Christ"

MCC's Refugee and Newcomers Assistance Program seeks to share God's love with refugees and newcomers in the areas of sponsorship, family reunification, settlement and integration into Canadian society.

MCC works with refugees and displaced people in many forgotten places around the world, including Kenya, Sudan, Colombia, Jordan and Iraq. The main reason people become refugees is due to conflict, sometimes a conflict between countries, sometimes a conflict between factions within a country. Strictly speaking, a "refugee" is someone that has fled their country to avoid persecution or conflict and an "internally displaced" person is someone who has fled their home to avoid persecution or conflict but are seeking refuge within their own country.

According to the UNHCR, in 2007 there were approximately 9 million refugees and 24 million internally displaced persons around the world. MCC international programs provide assistance to refugees and displaced people, helping them resettle back to their homes when it is safe to return.

MCC in BC also assists refugees in two ways: one, we work with churches to sponsor refugees to come to Canada and two, we have a refugee office in Vancouver that assists refugee claimants (asylum seekers already in Canada.)

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Jennifer Mpungu at our Abbotsford office (604) 850-6639 and Toll-free at 1-888 622-6337 (Mon-Thurs: 8:30 a.m - 4:30 p.m) or e-mail her at: refugee@mccbc.com. In Vancouver contact Jamie Spray at (604) 325-5524.