John Clarke and Anicka Fast worked for Mennonite Central Committee in Burkina Faso from 2020 to 2023.

They were fired without warning or cause on August 25, 2023, following a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and shortly after escalating their concerns about workplace abuse to Executive Directors and Board chair.

This story was updated May 12, 2025 to add far more details and links to supporting documents. John and Anicka say, “As we continue to hear from other survivors on a regular basis, to encounter church leaders who might be unaware of the nature of MCC’s abuse, and to hear about MCC leaders implying that there is “much more to the story” than what people have heard about, it feels like a good time to share a more detailed version publicly. As we become aware of an increasing number of other cases of abuse of MCC staff, we are repeatedly struck by the many parallels among our experiences. Several other survivors have shared with us that our description of interactions with MCC leaders (such as Human Resources or International Program staff) matches their experiences closely. Patterns that are starting to sound very familiar to us by now include gaslighting language, dismissive responses to reports of abuse at multiple levels, the offer of an NDA, internal investigations as retaliation for raising concerns of equity or financial accountability, unexpected sudden termination, and various practices of domination, bullying, or casual and demeaning cruelty. If, by going into further detail, we can encourage others that they are not alone and help to validate that what they experienced was also wrong, then we feel it is worth it.”