Initiatives

When a disaster strikes in countries where we serve, we come alongside our partners with specific tools to respond appropriately, to help them organize and manage response, with Psychological First Aid lessons, Disaster Management training, Mitigation and preparedness.

Modern slavery has been steadily growing in the past few years. We need to prevent it at the community level, training neighbours to detect ever-changing forms of recruitment, prevent sexual abuse, and respond to the need for healing and advocate for survivors. MACA has developed story books for children, training manuals for communities and joined global and regional networks to prevent this crime and be part of the solution.

From Conception to 2 years old you can do the math… 270 days of pregnancy + 365 days each year after birth…. These are the most critical days in the life of a person; child and mom. MACA focuses on training communities to care for expecting mothers, detect issues of concern, encourage pre-natal checkups and safe deliveries at the hospital or when unavailable, at least with trained birth attendants, and careful attention to infants. We want to be part of the worldwide effort to eliminate malnutrition and encourage loving care, emotional support and spiritual growth from the beginning. Communities, where MACA serves, are equipped to monitor a child’s growth and choose local foods that will nourish both mothers and children, support home visits to teach healthy practices like safe drinking water, sanitation, vaccines and prevention of adverse childhood experiences, praying with the family, and detecting signs of danger which can help protect those most vulnerable in the family.

Did you know that 80% of the world, though educated in schools, have lost the practice of reading, and prefer oral methods of teaching? While most educators count on their students being literate, the truth is, literacy does not mean that students will learn through books, reading or writing. MACA has been adapting materials and is mostly implementing these lessons among Aboriginal groups in South America. We recognize that orality is the preferred method for many people in cities and in cultures that consider themselves literate. We teach through songs, games, acting and storytelling, even when sharing spiritual truths from the Bible.

When working in urban settings, MACA applies ABCD (Assets Based Community Development), a strategy developed in several cities of North America, including Edmonton, in Alberta.

Through ABCD, MACA helps people discover their gifts and encourages them to use them for their neighbourhood to develop in healthy ways. Using this strategy in different cities of the world, we have developed experience and even use it in Canada in the areas where our members live.