A Mennonite Central Committee food distribution, with local partner ECS-SUDRA, in Unity State, South Sudan where the United Nations has declared a famine. Photo courtesy of ECS-SUDRA

The Saugeen Shores Refugee Fund (SSRF) announced May 29 that they had been matched with a second family for resettlement in Saugeen Shores.

Their first sponsorship came to a close in January and the paperwork has been signed for their second sponsorship. Although they do not know the precise arrival date, it would be some time in the next four months. 

The new family comes from Central Africa with some members born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and others in Zambia. There are two parents and four school-aged children. A fifth child, who is currently missing, will join the family if he is found.

The Mennonite Central Committee, a non profit organization who pairs SSRF with suitable families, said, “For more than two decades, the DRC has struggled with conflict in eastern provinces. As of November 2014, an estimated 2.6 million Congolese were internally displaced and nearly 500,000 had fled into neighbouring countries. Non-state armed groups and elements of the Congolese army (FARDC) threaten civilians.”

The SSRF said they will be spending time over the next few weeks learning about the region and its culture and hope to organize a community information night.

The SSRF is currently looking for housing and although they report having found one translator, they would also like to find more people with a knowledge of the Swahili language. If you can help, please email knmartinko@gmail.com.

For more information about MCC Canada famine relief, go to mcccanada.ca/learn/what/famine-relief.